'Bringing democracy to Thailand is not wizardry'

A new surge of protests are emerging in the country of Thailand from the younger generation. Thailand's youth are protesting for three main demands - for parliament to be dissolved, for the constitution to be rewritten, and for authorities to stop harassing critics. It a country which has a long history of political unrest and protest, but a new wave began in February this years after a popular opposition political party was ordered to dissolve. March 2019 saw the first elections since the military seized power in 2014. For many young people and first-time voters, this was the chance for change after years of military rule. However, the military entrenched its political role and the election saw Prayuth Chan-ocha, the military leader who led the coup, re-installed as prime minister. 

The pro-democracy Future Forward Party, with its charismatic leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, gained the third-largest share of seats and was popular among first-time, young voters. However, in February, the court ruled the Party had received a loan from Thanathorn which was deemed as a donation, therefore making it illegal, and the party was forced to disband. This cause thousands to join street protests. These protests were further exacerbated in June when a prominent pro-democracy activist went missing. Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who had been living in Cambodia in exile since 2014, was reportedly grabbed off the street and bundled off into a vehicle. Protesters accused the Thai state of orchestrating his kidnapping, which the police and government have denied. 

The students which are at the forefront of these protests have been disillusioned by years of military rule and want amendments to the coalition, a new election, the resignation of the prime minister and an end to the harassment of rights activists. The government's actions are not democratic and ultimately, a fair government is needed in the country. These protests are technically banned under Thailand's coronavirus state of emergency and breaking this ban carries a sentence of 2 years in jail, showing how far these people are going in order to get democracy. The movement has been driven by a group called Free Youth and is loosely composed of a number of university student associations and affiliated groups. 

The protests have been inspired from the Hong Kong protests of recent years where these groups represent free individuals that come together rather than being anchored down by particular organisations or political parties. However, the creativity of the protests in Thailand can outweigh that of Hong Kong. A Japanese hamster character, for example, has been turned into a rebel symbol. The cartoon hamster, Hamtaro, is being used a creative way to get support from young people around the country. Protesters have taken the Hamtaro theme song and changed its lyrics, using it as an anti-government anthem. A line in the song which says, "the most delicious food is sunflower seeds" has been changed to "the most delicious food is taxpayers' money." Three of the protests were themed aroud Hamtaro, where protesters ran around public spaces in circles to emulate a hamster wheel while singing this modified version of the cartoon's theme song. 

Protestors have also been seen giving the three-fingered salute, a gesture taken from the Hunger Games film where its a rousing symbol of defiance against an authoritarian state. The youths of Thailand are using more subversive pop culture forms of discontent as methods of protesting. Some flashmob type protests were also organised and quickly disperse into smaller cities, driven by social media. 

This new type of protesting is nothing like the previous red and yellow shirt protests we have seen in the country. The red shirts began as supporters of deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in September 2006. The yellow shirts represented those opposed to Mr Thaksin and were the force being the street protests that led to the 2006 coup. The red shirts were worn by students, left-wing activists and some business people who seen attempts by the urban and military elite to control Thai politics as a threat to democracy. A loose group of royalists, ultra-nationalists and the urban middle class also known as the People's Alliance for Democracy, wore the yellow shirts. However, in this protest it is nothing to do with social class or ideology but rather the divide is between the younger and older generation. 

This can be evident in the colourful hair and costumes which encompass the protests. They have used franchises such as Harry Potter in order to openly criticise the monarchy. Defaming the royal family is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Thailand's lese majeste laws, however, police have not stopped the speakers and protesters at these rallies. Many of the 200 protesters in one of the cities of Bangkok, were dressed like Harry Potter and other characters in what they said was reference to increasing injustices under the military-backed government.

After Maha Vajiralongkorn took the throne in 2016, the palace required revisions to a new constitution that gave him greater emergency powers. The king has since taken personal control over some army units and palace assets worth tens of billions of dollars. Meanwhile, some activists have complained of harassment by authorities, saying at least 9 opposition figures living abroad have disappeared. Two were later found dead. By raising this issue, the protesters have said that they do not have the intention to topple the monarchy but to allow it to exist in Thai society in the right way and legitimately under a democratic and constitutional monarchy. The students protesting also called on the authorities to amend laws banning criticism of the monarchy.  

Some students dressed as Hogwarts students and wore Gryffindor and Slytherin-themed scarves and ties. Protestors carried signs reading "trans witches are witches" and "trans wizards are wizards" and said they were: "Casting the Patronus Charm to Protect Democracy." They also dressed a straw-man as Voldemort. The rally-goers also held wooden sticks in the air, as well as phones with their lights on, replicating what the staff and teachers of Hogwarts did after Dumbledore was killed in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'. The protesters themed their rally as "Harry Potter vs You-Know-Who/He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.", with an organised of the demonstrating telling Channel News Asia correspondent Saksith Saiyasombut: "Bringing democracy to Thailand shouldn't be wizardry." Reporter and producer Ryn Jirenuwat wrote that a leader of the protest said: "Someone in power will probably ban Harry Potter novels in Thailand by now." Someone in the background said, "That's fine. J.K Rowling is a homophobe." 

These protests in Thailand show a new generation of leaderless, social media-savvy and inspired young activists. Young people grew up these popular culture characters and they are helping to add new dimensions to the movement for democracy, making it relatable and easy to communicate with young people. The older generation may not be able to relate but the young people are aiming to tell others of their generation about the failure of the government through these gimmicks. It is therefore a movement spurring from the younger generation.