What’s happening in Thailand?

Thailand is often described as coup-prone, given the numerous military takeovers since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932.
It would be as accurate to call it democracy-hungry.
Thais have periodically fought to determine their own future, despite the risks.
An unprecedented wave of protests has swept across Thailand over recent months, led by high school and university students who are calling for major democratic reforms.

Some have also broken a longstanding taboo, and risked prison sentences, to demand the power and wealth of the country’s monarchy be curbed.

Why have protests erupted now?

Young people say they are fed up with an establishment that has undermined their democratic rights and the country’s progress.
Demonstrations began on university campuses at the start of the year in response to a court decision to dissolve Future Forward, a prominent opposition party.

The party was especially popular among young people during last year’s election – a vote that was supposed to return Thailand to democracy following a 2014 military coup but was instead marred by claims of irregularities, and which critics say was skewed in favour of the army.
The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic halted the demonstrations, but only temporarily.
Under lockdown, frustration with the authorities mounted.
While Thailand has managed to avoid a major coronavirus outbreak, the economic impact of the pandemic has been devastating, and has highlighted the country’s yawning gaps in equality.
Online, anger among protesters increasingly targeted the monarchy, with the hashtag “#whydoweneedaking?” posted more than a million times.
In June, discontent flared further when it was reported that pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksi had been abducted in Cambodia. Rights groups say he is the ninth exiled activist to disappear in recent years.
The government and military have denied involvement.

What do the protesters want?

One of the protesters’ slogans is “let it end with our generation”. They are tired of a cycle of coups that has dominated Thailand’s political history.
Students are mostly united around calls for the dissolution of parliament, an end to harassment of government critics, and for changes to the military-backed constitution.
Some have also called for reforms to the country’s powerful and wealthy monarchy, which they say is too close to the military and which they accuse of interfering in politics.
A recent protest organised by the United Front of Thammasat, which has issued 10 demands for monarchy reform, was attended by tens of thousands of people.
The group has called for the king’s budget to be cut and for a separation of his private funds from the crown assets.
They have also called for an end to laws that forbid criticism of the monarchy.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn assumed the throne following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in 2016 and has since strengthened his authority, bringing the wealth of the crown and key army units under his direct control.
Protesters say they are not calling for the abolition of the monarchy, but for it to be modernised. Their demands have angered royalists.

Is it illegal to criticise the king?

Thailand’s royal family is shielded from criticism by a strict lèse majesté law that carries a sentence of up to 15 years, though the prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has said the king requested that nobody be prosecuted under the law.
Dozens of protesters have been charged with various other offences after taking part in protests in recent months, according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

How have the authorities responded to the demands?

PM has said he will consider some of the protesters’ demands regarding the constitution, but has said the monarchy should not be criticised.
The Royal Palace has made no comment on the protests and the demands for reform.
Rights groups say the authorities are attempting to contain the protests by arresting activists, and by pressuring universities and parents to stop students from demanding monarchy reform.

The authorities have also ordered Facebook to geo-block content that is critical of the royal family, including a page that had more than a million members.
The group’s creator, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a self-exiled critic of the monarchy, has already set up a new page that has surpassed the last group’s previous membership.

Recently

On 15th October, Thailand’s prime minister declared a “severe” state of emergency in the capital overnight, as police arrested more than 20 people, including prominent student leaders who have called for monarchy reform.
By afternoon, crowds ignored the ban to assemble at one of the city’s busiest intersections, Ratchaprasong, where they chanted “release our friends” and called police “slaves of dictatorship”.
Under the emergency measures, gatherings of five or more people have been banned, as has the publication of news or online information that “could create fear” or “affect national security”.
According to Human Rights Watch, the new emergency measures allow police to detain the protesters without charge for up to 30 days, with no access to lawyers or family.

Interesting, Unusual and Fun Facts about Thailand

Thailand is the only country in South-East Asia that has never been colonised under European power

The name Thailand in the Thai language is Prathet Thai, which directly translates to ‘Land of the Free’. It seems pretty apt then that this country is the sole country in the whole of South-East Asia to never have been colonised by any European nation. Considering that only very very few countries in the world have managed to escape European rule, this in itself is a huge accomplishment.

Every year there is a festival dedicated entirely to monkeys in Thailand

In the month of November there is an annual Lopburi Monkey Banquet that is hosted in front of Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in the province of Lopburi. The locals invite over 600 monkeys to feast on a buffet of over two tonnes of scrumptious food that has all been lovingly prepared by the locals. The festival is hosted out of the belief that good luck will follow from treating the furry creatures with respect. The locals also do it as a means of saying thank you to the monkeys who bring thousands of tourists to the city each year.

Paying respect to the royal family is a very serious matter.

In Thailand the royal family is adored and deeply respected by its citizens and it is strictly against the law to criticise any member of the monarchy.
The country has the lèse majesté law, which means that any disrespectful acts that are performed toward the king, queen or royal heirs are punished with imprisonment for treason.
Mother’s and Father’s Day in Thailand are also celebrations for the king and queen rather than for one’s one mother and father and is celebrated nation-wide by the Thai people.
Lastly, in the capital of Bangkok the overhead walkways and the monorail will simple come to a complete halt if any royal personage is passing beneath the platform.
This is because no layman should ever pass above the head of royalty.

Bangkok’s ceremonial name is one of the longest names in the world

Not only is the Thai capital Thailand’s largest city but one-tenth of the entire Thai population live in Bangkok.
Made up of Pali and Sanskrit root words, Bangkok’s ceremonial name is, ‘Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit.’
The name means, ‘City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Visvakarman at Indra‘s behest.’

Thailand is home to a fish that can walk on land

Built like no other fish in the world, the Cryptotora thamicola, otherwise known as the blind, waterfall-climbing cavefish, uses its two front and two back fins to propel itself up waterfalls.
In fact, it crawls on land the same way that any four-footed animal would.
This is pretty remarkable as the Cryptotora thamicola’s skeletal adaptations for walking have ever been observed in any sort of fish before now.
While the cavefish’s anatomy is described as being ‘salamander-like’, the cavefish is actually a distant relative of the commonly known, pet goldfish.

Thailand is the world’s number one orchid exporter

Not only is the delicate, exquisite orchid Thailand’s national flower, but it is also the world’s largest exporter of the floral treasure.
Around 45% of Thailand’s orchids are exported out of the country and the rest are sold to locals on the domestic market.
There are 1,500 different orchid species growing wild in Thailand’s forests and jungles.
Markets, shopping centres, temples and festivals abound with the exotic flower and it is not uncommon to see orchids growing on the side of the road or between one of the many tangled electricity cables.

It is considered disrespectful to touch anyone on their head even a child

In Thai culture, the head is considered to be the most important part of the body.
As a result, no one should ever touch the head of another person, even a child.
As a sign of respect and acknowledgment, Thais often try to keep their heads lower than the head of anyone older than themselves or anyone in a higher position.
On the opposite end of the body, the feet are considered lowly as they are symbols of attachment to the ground or earth, which is deemed to be a cause of human suffering and struggle.
For this reason, feet should always be tucked under one’s body and if sitting down, one’s feet must not point toward another person or any statue in a temple.

Some of Thailand’s facts and figures in a nutshell

There are 1,430 islands in Thailand, 35,000 temples and nearly 67 million people comprise of Thailand’s population.
Each year around 6 million tourists visit the country and there are 11 million non-resident visitors (local and foreign) who visit Bangkok, the capital, each annum.
Thailand shares its borders with four different countries; namely, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia.
Rice is Thailand’s most exported crop? Rice, of course!

Birthplace of Red Bull

Famous throughout the world, the popular energy drink, Red Bull was born in Thailand.
It was based on Krating Daeng, a sweet, uncarbonated energy drink that was sold throughout the country and across Asia from 1976 by Chaleo Yoovidhy .
Later in 1987, an Austrian entrepreneur named Dietrich Mateschitz modified the ingredients to better suit Western tastes and thus, Red Bull was born.

Thailand has the world’s longest reigning monarch in the world

King Bhumibol Adulyade reigned from 9 June 1946, and at the time of his death on 13 October 2017, was the world’s longest-reigning head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in all of Thai history.
King Bhumibol Adulyade reigned over Thailand for 70 years and 126 days and was greatly revered by the Thai people.
He owned a patent on a type of cloud seeding, an engineering degree from Switzerland and composed Thailand’s national anthem among many other impressive achievements.

THE GUARDIAN