Protests in Thailand: Everything you need to know

An unprecedented wave of protests is sweeping Thailand, with calls for major reforms. Here's everything you need to know

More than 10,000 people gathered at the latest student demonstration in Bangkok to protest against the government and demand reform of the monarchy.

See: Thousands defy emergency decree in Thailand

A mobilization not seen since the 2014 coup d'état, which brought the current Prime Minister to power.

What's happening in Thailand?

This wave of protest is led by high school and university students who are demanding major democratic reforms.

Some have also broken a long-standing taboo, and risked prison sentences, by calling for the power and wealth of the country's monarchy to be curbed.

Why did protests break out?

As the country faces a serious crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, young people say they are fed up with a government that has undermined their democratic rights and the country's progress.

They are not concerned that these protests are only exacerbating the crisis, and one of the main student leaders even called for a strike during the demonstration on Sunday.

Parit Chiwarakappel, nicknamed "Penguin," called for a general strike on October 14, the anniversary of the 1973 student uprising, and asked people to withdraw their money from Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), of which King Maha Vajiralongkorn is the largest shareholder.

“Take out all your money and burn your bank book,” he said.

Student leader Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak meeting with US Ambassador Glyn Davies

See also: US Embassy rejects claims it supports student protests

Protests began on university campuses earlier this year in response to a court ruling to dissolve Future Forward, an opposition party led by a young millionaire, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.

The party was particularly popular among young Thais in last year's elections.

Inspired by American films like Star Wars and The Hunger Game (which inspired the three raised fingers, a rallying symbol for protesters), this party particularly targeted young people with no political knowledge.

He is said to be linked to Thaksin Shinawatra's party, an indirect way of rallying Thai youth to the Red Shirt movement:

"Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit tried to distance himself from Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai party at an FCCT event in Bangkok ahead of the 2019 election – but admitted to voting for it and attending its rallies.

His party's platform is identical to Pheu Thai's, his party headquarters is literally next door to theirs, and Pheu Thai has nominated him as its choice for prime minister.

Since then, Pheu Thai and Future Forward have operated as an inseparable opposition front. »
Source

In the elections, the current Prime Minister's party, Palang Pracharat, received seven million votes, Pheu Thai, a party linked to exiled former Prime Minister tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, received 6.6 million, and Future Forward came third with nearly 4.8 million votes.

The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic put an end to the protests, but only temporarily.

As the country was shut down, frustration with the authorities grew.

While Thailand has managed to avoid a major coronavirus outbreak, the economic impact of the pandemic has been devastating, and has exposed the country's gaping equality gaps.

See: In Thailand, the biggest crisis is economic

Online, protesters' anger has increasingly targeted the monarchy, with the hashtag "#whydoweneedaking?" (why do we need a king?) trending more than a million times.

In June, discontent escalated further when it was reported that pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksi had been kidnapped in Cambodia.

Human rights groups say he is the ninth exiled activist to disappear in recent years.

The government and the military have denied any involvement.

What do the protesters want?

One of the protesters' slogans is "let this stop with our generation."

They are tired of a cycle of coups that has dominated Thailand's political history.

The students are mostly united around calls for the dissolution of parliament, an end to the harassment of government critics and the amendment of the military-backed constitution.

Some have also called for reforms to the country's powerful and wealthy monarchy, which they say is too close to the military and accuses of interfering in politics.

The students want the king's budget to be cut and his private funds to be separated from the crown's assets.

They also called for an end to laws that prohibit criticism of the monarchy.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej , in 2016 and has since strengthened his authority, placing the crown's wealth and key military units under his direct control.

The protesters say they are not demanding the abolition of the monarchy, but its modernization.

Their demands angered the royalists.

The King of Thailand is also, and above all, in the sights of the West; the Western press has disseminated a large amount of information, mostly based on anonymous testimonies, to discredit him.

It is important to remember that the monarchy is a second power that is difficult to corrupt, unlike some politicians, which guarantees Thailand's independence from foreign powers.

To take control of the country by installing a corrupt leader, the monarchy must first be abolished...

Who is behind these protests?

Doubts still remain about the real organizers of these demonstrations in Thailand.

Are these really students who no longer support the current power and the monarchy, or is this an external operation to eliminate a government that is too protectionist (which is trying to preserve its independence) and considered too close to China?

In the first case, it could "perhaps" bring some beneficial changes to the country, in the second case, the worst is to be feared.

In this article, you will find a lot of information that connects the leaders of the student protests in Thailand to the USA:

The Complete Guide: The U.S. Government's Role in Thailand's 'Student Protests'

Social media has played an important role in many so-called "pro-democracy" protests organized along similar lines around the world, including the protests in Libya, Syria, and the so-called "color revolutions."

The similar protests that led to the ouster of President Evo Morales in Bolivia have been linked to Tesla and lithium.

"We will carry out coups d'état on whomever we want!"

This is how Elon Musk responded to a Twitter accusation that the US government had staged a coup against President Evo Morales so that Musk could obtain lithium from Bolivia.

Much of the Western press at the time accused President Morales of falsifying the results and of being a dictator, yet his party has just won the new elections .

Many so-called "pro-democracy" demonstrations supported by the West have unfortunately never brought about any beneficial changes for the population, on the contrary...

And social media also plays an important role in these protests, as in Thailand.

Pro-monarchy and pro-military accounts, or those that denounced an external operation, were closed on Twitter and Facebook.

If those who control the algorithms of these powerful networks of influence are in favor of the demonstrations, as everything suggests, then we can guess who is behind them...

It is easy when you have control of these networks to target sensitive audiences (they all know key users), to highlight and give popularity to certain messages and to delete (which has been observed even on French Facebook accounts that speak critically of the protesters in Thailand) or to give less visibility to messages that disturb them.

These networks are a formidable means of controlling and manipulating populations.

Thailand's prime minister has said online campaigns against him, which prompted tens of thousands of people to take to the streets to protest the government, were fabricated and manipulated by hackers.

“How can messages distributed by 200 accounts be disseminated and shared on more than 50,000 accounts in a few hours?” he asked.

He called for a parliamentary inquiry into the matter.

Thailand had considered creating its own social network like China and Russia to protect itself from this type of operation, but the project was ultimately abandoned.

See also:

Thailand protests allegedly supported by 'invisible Western hands'

Who is behind the protests in Thailand?

Is it illegal to criticize the king?

Thailand's royal family is protected from criticism by a strict lese majeste law that carries a sentence of up to 15 years, although Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the king had asked that no one be prosecuted under the law.

According to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, dozens of protesters have been charged with various other offenses after taking part in demonstrations in recent months.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) is funded in part by the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

See this article about the NED:
The National Endowment for Democracy, legal showcase of the CIA

The main leader of the protests, Anon Numpa, also works for the TLHR…

How did the authorities respond to these requests?

Thailand's prime minister said he would consider some of the protesters' demands regarding the constitution, but said the monarchy should not be criticized.

The Royal Palace has not commented on the protests and demands for reform.

Human rights groups say authorities are trying to contain the protests by arresting activists and pressuring universities and parents to prevent students from demanding reform of the monarchy.

Authorities also ordered Facebook to geoblock content critical of the royal family, including a page with more than a million members.

The group's creator, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a critic of the monarchy who has gone into exile, has already set up a new page that has surpassed the number of members of the last group.

See: Facebook threatens legal action against Thailand for blocking pages

A divided country at a crucial moment

While the country should be uniting to combat the economic crisis, these protests have created many divisions between those for, against, and even those who do not take sides.

Pro-protest Netizens are calling for a boycott of Thai stars and idols who have remained silent on the student movement.

The new Miss Grand Thailand 2020 was the target of violent attacks on Monday after expressing support for student protests during the beauty pageant.

Miss Grand Thailand was called a "nigger" for her support of students.

See also:

Thai market analyst blames stock drop on anti-government protests

Saturday night protests in Thailand end peacefully

In Thailand, investors wary of protests and stock markets fall

Police dispersed protesters in Bangkok with high-powered water cannons, with more demonstrations planned for today

Thailand uses emergency decree to ban gatherings after Bangkok protests

Source: theguardian.com , chiangraitimes.com,