In Thailand, it’s protesters versus ‘salim’ as Bangkok prepares for mass rally
- The act of sitting or standing as the royal anthem plays in cinemas has become a marker for ‘salim’ – those seen as apologists for the Thai establishment
- The term has become a loaded one as a youth movement takes on the monarchy and the Prayuth administration, with another protest planned for Saturday
Among protesters, salim – the name of a traditional Thai dessert – has become a near-ubiquitous expression of contempt aimed at someone seen as an apologist for the establishment and its conservative political and social values.
“This is not a fad,” said John Winyu, a leading Thai political pundit. “Earning a living and having a future are the most important things for the people. So when the dictatorial government and the elites show they can’t give them a future, the people have to call them out.”
The protesters have planned another rally for Saturday, as well as a march to Government House the following morning, in an anticipated show of strength that has raised fears of a possible crackdown in a country where pro-democracy movements nearly always end in state violence.
The students’ calls for root-and-branch reform of Thailand’s government and monarchy have confounded the leaders of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. But their moves have also fuelled a culture war between young and old, as well as progressives and conservatives. The monarchy – which is insulated from criticism by one of the toughest royal defamation laws anywhere in the world – has for the first time been pulled into public debate, with its myriad impacts on daily Thai life coming into focus.