“I’m so glad that a lot of people today showed up to join the protest,” Arnon said Nampa, one of the protest leaders. “The movement has passed more than the youth group – as you can see there are more older people, and some of them have even attended the protest with their family.”
Nampa, a human rights lawyer, was arrested on August 7 and briefly arrested on charges of sedition in connection with an earlier protest he had attended.
“I’m not afraid, I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment. The court gave me bail. I would not have to repeat the same crimes, but that does not mean I can not exercise my rights under the constitution,” he said.
The law was increasingly used as a political tool, as ordinary Thai citizens – such as the government – could incur costs on behalf of the King.
But grievances that once whispered in the private confines of living rooms are now being publicly revealed to thousands of listeners over speakerphones, expressing the extent of the disillusionment of Protestants with the ruling institutions of Thailand.
“It is very radical and could be a turning point,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, associate professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Kyoto, on calls for royal reform. Pavin, an exiled Thai dissident himself, said Thailand “has long had a tradition of putting monarchy above all else. Monarchy is respected, you have to keep it unintentional.”
A dangerous line
Although absolute monarchy was abolished in Thailand in 1932, the monarch still has significant political influence.
On August 10, another protest at Thammasat University in Bangkok put forward a series of 10 reform demands that sought to guarantee a true constitutional monarchy that would place the monarch under the constitution.
Experts say demands for monarchy reform were previously made only by fringe groups, and Protestants are changing the game by talking about such issues so publicly and openly.
“The protests in Thailand are historic because this is the first time in Thailand’s history that urban protesters have demanded such reforms,” said Paul Chambers, a lecturer and special adviser at Naresuan University’s Center of ASEAN Community Studies.
“It is important to understand that, with a large group of protesters demanding monarchical reform, the cat is out of the bag for the first time, which means that prior monarchical reform is a valid question for Thai protesters.”
Observers say this is a crucial time for Thailand. Calls for monarchy reform could alienate large numbers of Protestants, but pushing too hard could create a severe backlog like a military collapse, which could eventually serve to attract more support for the movement.
In July, Prime Minister Bidut said he was “concerned and concerned about this movement” and warned Protestants against the monarchy’s dismay.
“I feel for our children, youth and university students and I also share the concerns of their parents as well. But there needs to be a vigilance about transgressions. I think people do not tolerate it and allow an incident like this to happen again . ” he said.
While no protesters have yet been arrested on charges of red majesty, at least two protest leaders – Nampa and Parit Chiwarak, a core leader of the Student Union of Thailand – were arrested on other charges before being released.
Singing of ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Hunger Games’ salute
Protestants’ anger is fueled by a multitude of what they say is injustice: from the army’s continued stance on power, the long-running coronavirus emergency – which they say is being used to to strengthen political opposition and free speech – to a flailing economy that does not offer them many job prospects, and the disappearance of democracy activists living in exile.
Singing of “dictatorship must be destroyed” and “democracy will flourish,” Protestants demanded that authorities stop intimidating those who come out to exercise their democratic rights.
Many have taken inspiration from movies to illustrate their requirements. Some dressed in Harry Potter costumes and sang verses from the popular franchise to drive out dictatorship. Protestants have used the Harry Potter theme at previous rallies, with protest leaders saying it represents the fight to remove the army from politics and protect the rights and freedoms of the peoples.
Led by people on stage, Protestants sang a Thai version of “Did You Sing People?” of “Les Miserables.” The song was the core song of protests by the Hong Kong anti-government, which will roll out the city six months in 2019.
Protesters are also flashing the three-fingered salute from the film franchise “Hunger Games”, which has become a symbol of resistance against the Thai government since the 2014 military coup.
One high school girl joined her friend in protesting in her school uniform. They used duct tape to cover the name of their school and hide their identities.
“I really wanted to take part in the protest, my parents do not know I’m here. If I told them they would have stopped me. I want Thailand (a place) with more freedom of speech. We are not brainwashed, we know what’s going on in Thailand, “said the girl, who did not give her name for fear of reprisals.
Her friend, who also did not want to give his name, said: “Our country does not belong to one single group or like-minded people, we could do otherwise and have our own thoughts.”
At schools in Bangkok and southern Thailand on Monday, video posted on social media showed students singing the national anthem while wearing white ribbons and making the three-fingered salute. Traditionally, Thai citizens have to stand still to respect the national anthem – played twice a day in public spaces – and the rule is even stricter in schools.
CNN is unable to verify the videos independently.
In the desire for a fresh kind of politics, young people made their mark on the 2019 elections by turning to vote for new, progressive, pro-democracy parties. But they were partially tarnished by a military draft constitution that allowed the generals to retain power through the House of Representatives led by a non-elected Prime Minister.
While the military-backed governing coalition has promised to restore stability in a nation rocked by decades of coups and political crisis, many of the country’s young people feel the Prayut government has done little to improve its economic prospects, democracy to restore or trust in the people.
“There is so much injustice in this country,” said the high school student. “The poor are becoming less, how can people without enough money have a good education. It is impossible.”
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