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Students and youth in Thailand continue to push for the government to meet their demands amid a highly volatile situation. After trying to use police force last week to stop large-scale demonstrations, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s administration is now working to shut down the protest movement through parliament. The danger of violent repression remains.
During another massive rally and a march to Government House on Wednesday, Prayuth delivered a television speech, saying: “I will take the first step to reduce this situation. I am currently preparing to lift the serious state of emergency in Bangkok and will do so immediately if there are no violent incidents. “He called on the protesters to resolve political issues through parliament, in other words, for students to and young people put their faith in opposition parties.
The government lifted the state of emergency yesterday. It had banned public gatherings of five or more people and allowed the government to carry out broad censorship of anything deemed to “affect national security” or “spread fear.” According to the decree, Bangkok targeted four media outlets: VoiceTV, Prachatai.com, “The Reporters” and the Standard .
VoiceTV was ordered to shut down on Tuesday, but a court reversed the decision the next day. It is owned in part by the family of former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck. Both were toppled in military coups, with the latter being ousted in 2014 and replaced by a military junta led by Prayuth.
The protest leaders, however, continue to demand the resignation of Prayuth and his government and the release of the protesters who have been arrested in the last two weeks. “He still seeks to stay in power ignoring all the demands of the people. The emergency decree should not have been issued in the first place, ”said protest leader Sirawith Seritiwat. Thursday was the first day since October 14 without major demonstrations, but protest organizers warned that the rallies will continue on Sunday if their demands are not met.
In July, the protest movement presented three central demands: the resignation of Prayuth, the writing of a new constitution, and an end to the persecution of critics of the government. In August, protesters also filed ten demands to reform the monarchy, including the abolition of the draconian law of lèse-majesté, transparency regarding the king’s finances, and an end to government propaganda involving the king.
Prayuth withdrew from parliament Monday from recess and will discuss the protests during sessions next week. The prime minister clearly hopes that the main opposition parties, Pheu Thai and the Move Forward Party (MFP), which has some support among students and youth, can use their influence to end the demonstrations.
Students, youth and workers genuinely motivated by democratic rights should not have faith in these parties. The Pheu Thai Party is related to former Prime Minister Thaksin and is the successor to his Thai Rak Thai Party. Thaksin, a billionaire, was ousted in a 2006 coup after his policies cut through the business interests of Bangkok’s elite, even opening up the economy to more foreign investment.
Pheu Thai has tried to deflect the protests behind the courts, another branch of the government, by filing a lawsuit in Bangkok’s Civil Court against the state of emergency. Pheu Thai legislator Cholanan Srikaew criticized Prayuth for lifting the state of emergency at this time: “He is really doing it to protect himself. Why? Because if today it does not lift the emergency decree and the court orders the temporary protection of the protesters, it would mean that all its orders and announcements related to this would be illegal.
The smaller Move Forward (MFP) is aimed at the middle class layers in Thailand dissatisfied with the role of the military and the monarchy in business. While they emit mild and left-wing criticism of the current system, the MFP and its de facto predecessor, the Future Forward Party (FFP), are pro-capitalist. The MFP was founded in 2014, and has since undergone a number of name changes. When the FFP was dissolved in February, most of its MPs moved to the MFP.
The leader of the defunct FFP, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, has criticized monopoly capitalism in Thailand from the point of view that only a small layer of the ruling elite controls the economy. At the launch of the FFP in 2018, he stated that he wanted to open up the economy to other layers of business. He has added vague promises about making the economy work for the benefit of the majority. He is not an opponent of capitalism, but represents a segment of the ruling class that demands greater access to wealth.
Before being disqualified as a member of parliament earlier this year, Thanathorn was the richest person in the legislature, reporting assets last year worth 5.6 billion baht ($ 180 million). From 2002 to 2018, he held a leadership position at the Thai Summit Group, which was founded by his father and is the largest auto parts manufacturer in the country.
Thanathorn remains an influential figure despite being barred from politics after the government accused him of violating electoral laws. He has appealed to Washington for support and has offered his party as a more trusted ally against China than the current Prayuth government.
The current MFP leader and wealthy businessman, Pita Limjaroenrat, has also criticized the Prayuth government. While at the FFP in February, he stated: “Only one percent have enjoyed stability, prosperity and sustainability. This is the economy of the capitalists, by the capitalists, for the capitalists ”. While the last statement is true, Pita’s reference to “one percent” is in fact a call for a greater dispersion of wealth within the bourgeoisie. His uncle served as a close associate of former Prime Minister Thaksin.
Attacks on democratic rights in Thailand are not solely the result of the Prayuth government or the monarchy. Ultimately, they come from capitalism, which Pheu Thai and the MFP support. While in power, Thaksin sought to intimidate and silence critics and waged a ruthless “war on drugs” that involved thousands of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers.
The fight for democratic rights is completely linked to the fight against capitalism and all the factions of the ruling class. Students and youth must turn to the working class in Thailand and across the region by raising demands for better social and economic conditions as part of the fight for socialism at the international level.
