Thailand Protest: Why are students challenging the monarchy?

At least 10,000 people - many first-time protesters - gathered in Bangkok last Sunday demanding reforms to the monarchy and calling for the government to step down to make way for fresh elections. It is one of Thailand's largest demonstrations in recent years.

Anti-government sentiments started brewing after the dissolution of the pro-democracy Future Forward Party (FFP) in late February 2020 by the courts. Protests, however, were halted by COVID-19 restrictions.

In July, protests erupted despite a ban of mass gatherings under Thailand’s state of emergency. It was a growing movement, led largely by students, and the rallies continued and held daily, since then.

The student protesters issued a 10-point call for reform of the monarchy. Among the demands, to curb the powers of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn over the constitution.

According to Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Associate Professor at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies in Kyoto University in Japan, the protests were triggered following a series of abductions and killings of Thai people, critical of the monarchy, abroad.

“We do not have solid evidence that these incidents are connected to the monarchy, but it happened that these people are anti-monarchies,” he said.

Chachavalpongpun, a self-exiled Thai said: “This protest is about putting back the monarchy in the constitutional framework.”

Among the prominent activists are student leader Parit Chiwarak, also known by his nickname Penguin, and sociology student Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul - both from Thammasat University.

Human rights lawyer Anon Nampa is the seen as the activist who first raised and questioned the role of the monarchy - a highly taboo topic in Thailand – in the public sphere but both Chiwarak and Sithijirawattanakul are really driving the debate forward, especially among students.

Thailand’s monarchy has long been considered ‘untouchable’, ‘sacred’ and above politics. The monarchy is also shielded from criticism under a strict ‘lese-majeste’ law which forbids the insult of the monarchy. Under Section 112 of the country’s Penal Code, anyone who defames, insults, or threatens the King, the Queen, their heir-apparent or the regent can be imprisoned up to 15 years.

The current monarch, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, known as King Rama X, was crowned in May 2019, three years after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The late king was highly revered among the Thais. He was seen as a champion of the poor and is a force for stability and unity in the kingdom. By the end of his 70-year reign, he was regarded as “father of the nation”.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn, however, is known for his controversial lifestyle and has largely been absent from his kingdom. He spends most of his time in Germany.

“People who live in Bangkok or any part of the county are seeing their King live in Germany and making headlines without giving attention to the frustration of the people. These are factors that contribute to the protest,” says Chachavalpongpun.

In March 2019, Thailand held its first elections since a military coup in 2014. Many young voters had hoped the election would restore democracy in the kingdom but former army general Prayuth Chan-ocha was re-elected as prime minister.

According to Chachavalpongpun, some Thai people view Chan-ocha’s government as illegitimate

“You can see the shadow that has been cast over the current government with the manipulation of the constitution to allow this government to be in power. That’s why the students came up with the first three demands before it was extended for monarchy reform.”

The student leaders outlined a 10-point manifesto for reforming the monarchy. Among others, it demands the monarchy to be accountable to the country’s elected institutions. Other demands include changing the constitution to allow criticism of the king, trimming the monarchy’s budget and banning the palace from politics and from endorsing any coups.

The government said that the people can show dissatisfaction and that the Chan-ocha government will seek a dialogue with the protesters. But the authorities have arrested many pro-democracy demonstrators in the past week. They have been released on bail. It appears that the government is struggling with how best to respond.

“The pressure for Prayuth is immense. Knowing the king, knowing the government, they would not out easily and give in to the demands of the student. We have seen a number of students getting arrested. There could be a crackdown, there is a possibility,” Chachavalpongpun said.