THAILAND: Democracy protests demand a reckoning with royal power
The thirst for democracy remains unsatisfied in Thailand. The country’s March 2019 elections had been presented by the state as marking a return to democracy after five years of military rule, but the reality was that people’s demands for democracy were thwarted as the military kept a tight hold on the levers of power.
As well as dissatisfaction with the management of the pandemic and anger at the fact that the pandemic was being used as an excuse to suppress dissent, protesters questioned the dissolution of a pro-democracy party. Young people voiced their opinions regarding political uncertainty and the ways the government had abused their rights and compromised their future.
Piyanut Kotsan
