Opinion | Thai protests: a 1932 revolution for the social media generation
- The youth-led protests of today have revived a message from nine decades ago – ordinary people, not the establishment, are the country’s rightful owners
- But protesters are using the wonders of modern media to get this message across, while royalists rely on the same old traditional smear tactics
Every year, a number of Thais gather at Thammasat University’s Tha Phrachan campus and at the October 14, 1973, memorial site on Ratchadamnoen Avenue to commemorate the student uprising on that date that restored democracy to the country.
This year was unusual. Thousands, mostly young people and students, came together at the Democracy Monument on the same road not only to recall that struggle, but also to protest against the current order and call for reform of the royal institution. They believe the monarchy sits at the top of the pyramid of their country’s problems.
During the demonstrations 47 years ago, students held portraits of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit, reaffirming the ‘royal nationalist democratic ideology’ developed during the Cold War.
They also oppose the idea of military intervention in installing a royally sanctioned replacement for Prayuth.