What’s happening in Thailand and how to help:
The people of Thailand live in a military dictatorship, in constant fear of having their rights stripped away for speaking out against injustice. Dozens of critics have been arrested arbitrarily over the years, some even died under mysterious circumstances. DO NOT LET THEIR VOICES GO UNHEARD, DO NOT IGNORE THEIR STRUGGLES.
The context:
The current prime minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha, organized a military coup in 2014 the pushed a militant dictatorship into power.
He retained his seat after an election(amidst complaints of cheating and vote buying) in March 2019 was held under new election laws his junta introduced to give him an advantage.
Their opposite, Future Forward Party was dissolved under suspicious conditions.
Under his regime, Thailand’s constitution has been redrafted to push military forces into power and any criticism against the government has been met with violence and aggression. thailand is currently in an economic crisis, in the middle of a pandemic.
What’s happening now:
At least 9 people criticizing thailand’s military and monarchy have disappeared
Thai activists, who are actively speaking out against the are being forced to go into hiding, with reports of over 60+ activists being forced into hiding.
Freedom of speech and expression has been stolen from the people by the junta by violently cracking down on dissent, actively enforcing media censorship, and banning public gatherings.
The current constitution, drafted under the heavy influence of the military and enacted in 2017, allows authoritarianism and abuse of power to thrive even further—at the price of thai people’s liberty and basic human rights. The law and the corrupt justice system has been weaponized by the military to serve the ruling class and demolish the less fortunate.
What do the protestors want? at the risk of facing jail time, thailand’s activists and students are protesting for:
The three main demands are:
For the government to dissolve the parliament
The government to stop threatening civil liberty
A demand for a new constitution to be drafted
more demands:
"End 112": refers to a royal defamation law that protects the monarchy from criticism and carries a sentence of up to 15 years per charge.
Greater democracy and less power for the monarchy
HOW TO HELP:
EDUCATE YOURSELF: do everything you can to find out about whats happening in thailand.
SPREAD AWARENESS: the students, protestors and activists are being actively targeted and persecuted by the government for speaking up. The absolute least we can do is spread awareness about it and amplify their voices. the internet is the only way for everyone to educate themselves on whats happening in thailand. read and reshare the links. don’t let the people of thailand be forgotten. if the students of thailand can take a stand while being scared for their lives and freedom, so can you. silence is compliance.
PROTEST: protests are being held everywhere, in LA, paris, mancouver, berlin, etc. (link to locations and dates of protests)
DONATE: donate to organizations that spread awareness through newspapers, lawyers helping protestors that are being arrested.
Sources and ways to educate yourself:
https://theprint.in/world/thai-students-risk-jail-with-calls-for-greater-democracy-and-curbing-monarchys-power/479178/
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thousands-protest-against-thai-government-165057925--spt.html
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-politics-timeline/timeline-thailands-turbulent-politics-since-2014-military-coup-idUSKCN2520CB
https://freedomforthai-en.carrd.co/
https://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2020/08/12/we-must-fight-thailands-youth-take-on-the-establishment.html
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/1650364/timeline-thailands-turbulent-political-history
