cover image: ISSUE: 2021 No. 94    - Singapore | 16 July 2021

20.500.12592/5fcj0d

ISSUE: 2021 No. 94 - Singapore | 16 July 2021

15 Jul 2021

94 ISSN 2335-6677 INTRODUCTION Since early 2020, Thailand has witnessed a remarkable wave of political protests, initially triggered by the dissolution of the progressive Future Forward Party1 and the kidnapping in Cambodia of pro-democracy activist Wanchalerm Satsaksit.2 Throughout the past year, demonstrations have taken place in many parts of the country, though primarily in Bangkok. [...] These include the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and his cabinet, the reform of the monarchy, and the amendment of the military-drafted 2017 Constitution.3 Having the courage to discuss and criticise royalism – one of the most tabu-ed topics in Thai society – has set this group of protestors apart from its predecessors. [...] “I felt that just being there was already a significant contribution,” said Sai.16 PROTESTS OF DIVERSITY While political objectives like democracy were the reasons that Fern and Sai initially joined the street protests, both women quickly realised that people in the movement had diverse backgrounds and were expressing their agendas loudly – whether on the streets, on the stage or in the online wor. [...] To explain this phenomenon, Cornell University Professor Tamara Loos points out that “In effect, the demonstrations have become avenues for young people not just to refuse royalism but also to demand the right to nonconformity”.25 Loos argues that nonconformity in the context of Thailand and specifically in that of ongoing protests offers “critiques to the status quo hierarchy and refusal to confo. [...] In July 2019, the monarch officially appointed Sineenat “Koi” Wongvajirapakdi as his “noble consort”.43 He thus revived a tradition that had not been witnessed in Thailand since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932.44 The king later used his power to demote and then reappoint Koi with just the snap of his fingers.45 These events exemplified not only the king’s power but also the status of the.
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