can Sangtong / Shutterstock.com
If we follow the coverage of the current demonstrations, it seems that it is mainly and perhaps only about politics. That is not true. Many other social issues are also addressed, including education, women's rights and social status.
De demonstrations of mainly students from secondary and higher education started after the Constitutional Court dissolved the Future Forward Party on 21 February last. The party has a large following among the youth. The court ruled that a loan from party leader Thanathorn was illegal because the court considered the loan to be a gift. The demonstrations were directed against the existing political system without any specific demands. Those demonstrations soon came to an end due to the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic.
On July 18, a new group called Free Youth organized a demonstration at the Monument to Democracy. The group formulated three demands: the resignation of the government, a new constitution and an end to harassment of the demonstrators. The demonstrations spread among youth all over the country and eventually took place in 66 of the 77 provinces. In early August, ten demands for reform of the monarchy emerged. That was unimaginable until then, a bat in the chicken coop. The authorities took action: so far 167 demonstrators have been arrested, 63 have been charged and 8 have actually been imprisoned but have since been released on bail. These later demonstrations are characterized by a festive atmosphere with music, song, dance, drama and poetry, often with a humorous, ironic or sarcastic character. They often go back to the period 1973-76 when there was a great deal of freedom in this respect. 'Art for Life, Art for the People' was a slogan at the time.
LGBT (Can Sangtong / Shutterstock.com)
The protests therefore also have an important role social background. For example, 18-year-old Napawn Somsak, dressed in her school uniform and with pigtails in her hair, took the stage and denounced sexism in Thai society. Before a cheering crowd of more than 2000 people in the northern province of Chiang Mai, the young lady asked why women are paid less than men and why they cannot be ordained as a Buddhist monk.
Napawn is one of many young Thai women publicly calling for change, spurred on by widespread demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's resignation. "If we believe that everyone is equal and that there is a need to reform patriarchy in Thai society, then no one, not even the monarchy, should be exempt," she said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Many of the young protesters are students who also complain about a school system that emphasizes obedience and tradition, from daily queuing for the national anthem to strict rules on uniforms, hairstyles and behavior.
can Sangtong / Shutterstock.com
Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the Faculty of Political Science at Ubon Ratchathani University, says women were more oppressed in schools than men.
'The political space is opening up to young girls, who have been oppressed for a long time,' he says.
Protest locations across the country are asking people to sign petitions calling for the decriminalization of abortion and prostitution.
Women for Freedom and Democracy, an activist group that started in August, distributes sanitary napkins and has also developed an online system to report sexual harassment.
So far, the counter stands at 40 incidents and they sometimes also give the reporter legal advice. Furthermore, students showed bloody sanitary napkins with the question 'why do sanitary napkins fall under the category of cosmetic and luxury products and are therefore very expensive?'
But what has attracted the most attention is the “pussy painting” group coloring in images of vaginas. "People are excited because normally we don't talk about the vagina in public," says Kornkanok Khumta, a member of the group. "As time passes, people get better at colors and feel empowered to mention their genitals on a protest site." In a speech, a student talked about the many places in Thailand where penises are exhibited and worshiped, including in temples. "Why not vaginas too?" she wondered, much to the delight of the spectators.
LGBT groups are also making themselves heard. They founded a group called Seri Thoey. Seri is 'freedom' and Thoey is short for 'kathoey'.
Monks also demonstrated, a rarity. They held up a sign that read, "The Sangha Law of 1962 makes us monks slaves with no rights and no voice."
Other issues that are regularly mentioned during the demonstrations are the call for more trade union rights and the desire to abolish conscription. I couldn't get clear details about more union rights.
This is just a selection of the most eye-catching calls. Politics is in the foreground during the demonstrations, but there is clearly much more that is being discussed. It is also a cultural revolution. This reminds me somewhat of the protests in many countries in 1968. They led to some social changes but not really to a political upheaval. Let's see what these demonstrations will bring about social and political changes.
Thanks to Rob V. for corrections and additions.
Sources:
- I took a lot of data from this article by Nanchanok Wongsamuth: news.trust.org/
- More about the cultural awareness: 'Hundred flowers': www.thaienquirer.com/
- See a good overview of the protests so far here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Thai_protests
Thanks, Rob and Tino, for this explanation.
Unfortunately, the national and international press does not sufficiently emphasize that there is more at stake among the youth than politics alone, and you see that the ultra-royalists only emphasize the only secondary wishes around the House with slogans such as 'enemies of the state'.
Thailand is not an island in the world and it is high time that the ingrained paternalism is replaced by power sharing and equal rights for men, women and LGBT.
Many other social issues are also addressed, including education, women's rights and social status.
Isn't that political?
These are matters for which the government – and therefore politicians – bears responsibility.
Education, where the youth does not learn and still gets a diploma, for example.
Let me choose 1 subject that is not only close to my heart but that I also know the most about: education.
Over the past weekend, I have repeatedly discussed the quality of university education with the students in my class. They look up to the quality of graduates in education at European universities and I told them that this quality is partly due to:
– that an average of 33% fails an exam or exam and therefore has to retake it;
– that there is a binding study advice in the first year: not scoring enough points means being sent away and no longer being able to enroll;
– a working week of 40 hours, of which approximately 15 hours in a classroom, but also a lot of independent work and critical thinking (in reports and projects and not in written exams);
– ban on mobile phones in classrooms;
– classes start on time and those who are often late are not allowed to participate in the exams;
– if the results are insufficient, the student grant will be terminated.
And then you see them thinking sometimes. That education in the Netherlands may be good, but it is much worse than what Kuhn Too comes up with. In short: there is really no question of a cultural revolution. Change the world but start with yourself. Many of the protesting students are rich kids. Many of the students of the turbulent 70s came from the middle and lower classes. The rich kids of the 70s were averse to protesting and helped the police, even with thugs. And don't tell me it's not true because I was there myself.
Yes, Chris, that's right. Many of those students are rich kids. Only 10% of the children of the quarter with the lowest income go to higher education, of the next quarter 25%, then 40% and of the children of the quarter richest parents 60% go to higher education. That difference has increased sharply in the past 30 years.
Well, those protesting rich kids are now often fighting with their parents. Those rich kids want more equality and more equal opportunities for everyone. Those rich kids are therefore also fighting for the poor kids. Special right?
That higher education probably also includes the so-called Rajabaht universities, which are actually no more than secondary schools. The better universities are filled even more than that 60% with rich children, if only because those universities are often in Bangkok, part of them are private and the tuition fees for the non-rich are barely affordable. Different per faculty but ranging from 200.000 baht to 1 million baht per year.
Fortunately, the BBA program is going from 4 to 3 years….but that is little consolation for the non-wealthy.
If those rich kids really fought for the poor kids, the demand would not be to abolish Wai Kru and a better quality of education, but to abolish tuition fees (as in Germany), nationalize the private universities, involve people from the business in teaching (which is now virtually impossible because you need an MBA to teach BBA students) and making teaching more attractive.
Gosh Chris, were you there in the 70s? Incidentally, it was then the so-called Por Wor Sor students (secondary vocational education) who were hired as thugs. Not exactly the rich students, but quite the opposite.
Yes, I studied at the Agricultural University of Wageningen from 1971 and was a progressive student on the Hogeschoolraad from 1974 to 1975. And the liberal students (almost all members of the Wageningen student corps) in the HR (with 3 seats against the progressives with 6 seats) were behind the thugs when the mathematics building and the main building in Wageningen were occupied. I know because some of them played hockey in the same club as me and they also recruited new members through the club.
Children, with no life experience whatsoever, demanding the resignation of the government. It shouldn't get crazier. Of course they have many points to be made about them. But I don't think that the resignation of a government or new elections will do anything to improve these points.
And your solution is?
Obediently let everything come over you and keep your mouth shut?
If everyone is silent, nothing will change for sure.
And the youth stands strong because they are weak.
If young people disappear or are shot dead, it will go all over the world with the help of social media.
Then no government of another country can look away.
The solution would be for the students to enter into strategic (political) alliances with those members of parliament who also want to get rid of this government. And they can be found in the opposition, but also among the Democrats and a few small coalition parties so that a majority can be formed. There are plenty of clues for that. Those parties are (currently) not in the mood for a discussion about the monarchy. And all those other topics can be discussed in a new government, after the elections.
The students, however, go for 'all or nothing' and in my humble opinion it will not work. It may look cool to decline an invitation from parliament to participate in a reconciliation panel, but it is not wise if you want to achieve something. Not a single conflict, not a single war has been won sustainably on the battlefield but at the negotiating table. Good examples: Northern Ireland and South Africa; bad examples: Israel, Turkey/PKK and Korea. In this case it would also have been an acknowledgment of the importance of the protests.
And the young people are not shot at because some of them are rich kids, including children of police and army officers. They are now handled with velvet gloves.
The whole thing had been in line with expectations for years and indeed it must be tackled politically. The automatism that the elderly think they are in charge will slowly break down when I see the trend around me in terms of organizing professional events.
I think you're right about that last paragraph and those velvet gloves. What a difference with 2010 when those red shirt farmers from the barbaric North and Northeast were shot like dangerous game. They weren't entirely innocent themselves.
The students (and also opposition parties) have indicated that it should not become yet another time-wasting committee. They now really want a serious debate that is really meant to raise serious issues. In short, perspective on achieving certain goals. The students also believe that talking does not help with a man like Prayuth at the helm who believes he has done nothing wrong. I understand what that is like talking to a stone wall.
Yes, that is why they should have formed an occasional coalition. Of course not with the opposition who already agree with them and cannot get rid of the government, but with those MPs from government parties who also want to get rid of Prayut. Then you're not talking to a wall, you're talking without a wall.
But all those other demands of the students stand in the way of such a solution because they want everything. And of course that is not possible. But if they had been more lenient (dropped all but 1 demand until after the next election) the government would have already fallen.
Strange how some people think they can predict the future.
for a long time we thought that, as Francis Fukuyama wrote, “The end of history had come” after the fall of communism.
The whole world would embrace the Western model.
Nothing could be further from the truth, Muslim countries have their own idea about a society and certainly not the last one; China with an ever-increasing influence.
"The filthy Farang brought Covid here," Thailand's education minister shouted twice. Probably at the insistence of Chinese diplomats who try to avoid losing face. And put parties under pressure with their extensive financial interests.
The future of Thailand is more than ever determined by the powerful northern neighbor in thinking, male female relations, etc. Get used to it, look at Hong Kong.
Chinese tourists are already allowed to enter Thailand without quarantine, what will follow?
No one can predict the future, but you can pay attention.
Did I miss something about entering without quarantine now?
I think it's Chinese New Year.
That will take another three months.
And expectations for the future are rather flexible in Thailand.
This is also a nice piece. How children of the 'elite' deal with their new insights and the reaction of their family:
https://www.thaienquirer.com/20458/why-some-thai-elites-support-the-movement-in-their-own-words/
Progressive elite are the smart ones. Show compassion but in the meantime they rake in the money or the game that eg Unilever also plays and a large part of the population falls for it.
If you can follow the Thai language well, I can recommend the daily debates on ThaiRatTV.
In Jomquan's program, debates between 17 of the demonstrators and 15 politician from the ruling party take place daily between 18:30 and 1:1 PM Thai time. These debates can be followed live via ThaiRatTV page on FB and Youtube. They are closely followed by more than 2 million viewers.
I will not reveal who makes the best impression on a daily basis and who comes up with the best arguments.
https://youtu.be/22WlxU52_ts
I don't understand everything, but even then you can clearly see who is discussing the points of view calmly and rationally and who is becoming very emotional at the table and whose heart/head is no longer cool. I was amazed at some of the statements O_o. Oh and of course there were all kinds of memes going around with fragments from this program. Humor is important. 🙂
It is of course a pity that arguments matter little in Thai politics. You look with western eyes. People vote for PEOPLE who are good in the eyes of the voter. In the last election, this applied to 50% of the voters. Few care which party this person is a candidate for. Changing parties, setting up a new party: it is all possible in this country without really losing a vote. And then of course you should not be surprised that actual politics are based more on personal and clan opinions than on ideological differences (about economic inequality, about the environment, about justice, about whether the strongest shoulders should bear the heaviest burden or not, etc.) . Thaksin's ideas may have been more liberal than the Democrats', yet millions of the poor voted for him. Name me 1 party and 1 government that has really done something about the poor quality of education in the past 20 years. NOT A SINGLE ONE. After all, smart citizens are a threat to the status quo of power, but especially of money.
Dear Chris, I don't believe in 'Western' vs 'Eastern' glasses. I see a mosaic and try to put on kaleidoscope glasses. Don't see things in black and white. That is why I can also heartily recommend listening and watching the variety of opinions among Thais. That's what this piece is also about. And it is evident that 'the' establishment (which is of course not mono) would rather not expect critical, let alone assertive, citizens (or workers, etc.).
Oh, there are some highs and lows in the media. Oa:
- https://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2020/10/29/heres-a-recap-of-parina-vs-mind-showdown-everyones-talking-about/
- https://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2020/11/05/jews-imperialism-internet-facepalms-at-pai-dao-din-vs-harutai-debate/
The young guy from the first link, 'Mind' recently had an interview with the English language Thisrupt, see:
https://www.facebook.com/thisruptdotco/posts/385371076148880
There is plenty to find on social media, unfortunately many speeches, videos, pictures, etc. are only in Thai. The protest signs are a bit easier to understand and often with humor. For example, last week I saw three monks with signs against the dictatorship of the Sangha. They also drew carrots on it. The demonstrators have come up with several new words, cops are 'cappuccino' and the orange monks are 'carrot'.
Dear Petervz,
I can't follow Thai language unfortunately. Undoubtedly, the young people make a better impression than many politicians of a governing party. That is not an art in Thailand either, I would say. Those politicians are not elected because they have such good (political) ideas, but because they are popular and belong to a certain clan. The student leaders are not representative of the entire population, I can tell you from my daily practice as a teacher.
But making a good impression is not enough. It's about results and about strategy. And the results are 0,0 for now. And they are losing momentum because I think the strategy is wrong.
The future of this country in the next 20 to 30 years does not belong to the young, because there are far fewer of them than the elderly. Numerically, young people will be in the minority for many decades to come. Here too there is an aging population (more elderly people who also live longer). The future only belongs to the young if they are supported in their ideas by some of the older people. And the majority of them have 'outdated' ideas.
I was so charmed by the Thai students. Respectful, friendly and in nice uniform. Unlike in Belgium.
Will that also disappear?