In Thailand, cinema-goers’ refusal to stand for royal anthem reveals changing attitudes towards monarchy

Just a few years ago, remaining seated during the royal anthem which plays before film screenings in Thailand would have been unthinkable

But as the number of royalists in the country ‘dwindle by the day’, observers say more people are no longer afraid of being attacked for not standing

Reading Time:4 minutes

People walk past advertising displays at a cinema inside a shopping centre in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:29pm, 8 Nov 2021

Anyone who has been to a cinema in Thailand knows the routine: before the film starts, everyone is asked to stand during a royal anthem to pay respect to the monarch.

During the 70-year reign of former King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016, it was rare for anyone to sit during the song. And while many Thais still stand up, nowadays an increasing number of people are opting to stay seated rather than pay respect to his son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose short time on the throne has seen unprecedented protests calling for reform of the monarchy.

At a recent showing of the James Bond film No Time to Die at a central Bangkok cinema, nearly half of about 60 people sat down through the royal anthem without incident – a scene unthinkable just a few years ago, when film-goers risked being attacked if they did not stand. In 2019, a woman said she was assaulted for not standing up, while last year another man was splashed with a drink for sitting through the 90-second song in the eastern province of Chanthaburi.

“Things are changing,” said Chotisak Onsoong, a political activist who had popcorn and a water bottle thrown at him in 2007 when he sat for the anthem. He was later kicked out of the cinema and charged with insulting the royal family, although prosecutors eventually declined to pursue the case. He still refuses to stand and has noticed more people joining him in recent months.

“Protesting and not standing up for the anthem are really the same thing,” Chotisak said.

Royalist groups have noticed the trend as well. On October 29, a pro-monarchy Facebook group called “Good Students” posted a graphic of one person standing in a cinema before the start of the royal anthem with the caption: “Even if I’m the only one left standing, I’ll continue to stand up.”