Thailand protests: is Milk Tea Alliance stirring global support?

Name: How demonstrators in Thailand marshall anti-government protests with hand signs
Uploaded: 2020-10-24T23:00:15.000Z
Duration: 3 min 29 s
Description: How demonstrators in Thailand marshall anti-government protests with hand signs

The online grouping of pro-democracy supporters from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand has been standing in solidarity with the Thai anti-government movement

But while the hashtag allows activists to lend ‘online moral support’ and share tips on organising protests, observers say it’s not likely to spark a political shift

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Thai students at an anti-government protest in Bangkok on October, 19 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE

Phila Siu

Published: 7:00am, 25 Oct 2020Updated: 9:29pm, 25 Nov 2020

The day after Thailand’s military government shut down Bangkok’s rail system to restrain the growing anti-government movement last week, a message supportive of the campaign was graffitied on a bridge 1,550km from the kingdom.

The hashtag #StandWithThailand was sprayed onto a bridge in the middle-class neighbourhood of Taikoo in Hong Kong. It remained unclear who did it, but pictures of the message quickly appeared on social media.

Hong Kong’s former lawmaker Raymond Chan Chi-chuen was among those who took a photo and shared it on Twitter. Within a few days, it was retweeted 35,000 times and drew an outpouring of gratitude from Thai protesters.

“There isn’t too much we can do in Hong Kong, except to share some posts about the protest and to show our support,” said Chan of the People Power opposition party.

“In the face of their authoritarian government, the Thais have defied the rules banning gatherings of more than five people,” he said. “Here in Hong Kong, we have also been banned from organising large-scale gatherings. But the Thais have still been coming out and they are very courageous.”

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How demonstrators in Thailand marshall anti-government protests with hand signs

Shared interests

Hong Kong is a member of the Milk Tea Alliance, an online pro-democracy coalition comprising people from Thailand and the self-ruled island of Taiwan. The name was coined because of their shared passion for the sweet drink.

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