🇹🇭 A new stage in Thailand's democracy push

Prayuth promises prosecutions of persistent protestors

Hello friends!

Let’s check in on Thailand today. There’s a lot going on here so let’s hear from the demonstrators and journalists on the ground. 

Also, recommend keeping an eye on the #whatishappeninginThailand hashtag which provides context for outsiders on Instagram and Twitter. Some fantastic art and snaps coming through.

(And while I have you, I’ve got a new piece in the Interpreter today about the return of Rizieq Shihab to Indonesia. Things are moving quickly so some of it is a little off already but this is going to be a biiig story for a looong time and I hope this is a decent catch-up type piece.)

Okay let’s jump in. 

Things have escalated sharply in Thailand this week. 

Pro-democracy protesters vowed to demonstrate as parliament debated proposed charter changes Tuesday, with clashes between the police and demonstrators and between Royalists and the pro-democracy cohort. 

“Come together at the Sappaya-Sapasathan [new parliament of Thailand] from 3 pm onwards until the dictators’ slaves concede in amending the people-oriented amendment and bringing down the monarch to be underneath the constitution,” organiser group Free Youth wrote Tuesday in the protest announcement, as quoted by Coconuts Bangkok.  

It quickly turned. Water cannons have been used at recent protests by authorities saying they’re trying to push back protestors from barricades and the addition of coloured chemical irritants. It’s prompted the use of instantly iconic blow-up ducks to act as a shelter against the blasts. But Tuesday night saw the use of water cannons AND tear gas for, I believe, the first time during this movement. 

“Stop accusing us of violating the law, you [the police] are violating the law by hurting people. We are fighting for a better future of our country and for everyone so don’t fire water cannon on us,” Parit Chiwarak, aka Penguin, said later in the protest, as reported by the Guardian.

Staff at Erawan Emergency Medical Centre say they treated at least 41 protestors for various injuries including five with gunshot wounds. From what I can tell, journalists and other investigators are still working on finding out what exactly the deal with these gunshots are about. Police are on the hunt for a man in a pink raincoat who they think might be behind it, but we’ll see. 

Protestors returned Wednesday as Parliament ditched five of seven charter change proposals. According to Nikkei Asia, the rejected proposals included the Internet Law Reform Dialogue backed by the pro-democracy movement. The piece is worth reading in full because it’s important but there’s no way to summarise without getting a bit close to plagiarism. Very handy resource, thank you, Nikkei Asia! 

While this was going on, protestors had returned for another night of protesting and giving the Bangkok police headquarters a makeover. Citing the rejection of the proposal — one of the key demands of the movement — protestors doused the building in paint. Click through for the snaps, it looks kinda cool. Likewise, this New York Times piece has some stunning footage from the Associated Press. 

We haven’t spoken too much about the vocational schools in Bangkok and the infamous brawling before beyond a couple of times where it has spilled over into the rest of the city or people have died. I need to know more because this video doing the rounds on Twitter has me hooked. 

What these students and young working-class people are talking about is more material than the demands of their university campus peers. A lack of benefits or support, as well as a total dearth of job opportunities, has undermined the political system, leading to the creation of Gears for Democracy, a group for vocational students to get involved. I love everything about this video. The different angle on the movement is a very, very important one showing how it has brought a generation together. But also those quotes! These are some funny young blokes and I love it. 

Today’s newsletter image comes from the video. I’m not too sure of the source though, so if you know please hit reply I’d love to see more coverage. 

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand is currently appealing a directive from authorities which has continued the ban on owning body armour and flak jackets by civilians — including media and medicos. As Jonathan Head writes, the violent deaths of media and nurses isn’t a distant thing in Thailand with deaths occurring in 2010 demonstrations. 

Elsewhere, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha is furious. “All laws and all articles” will be used against protestors. 

"The situation is not easing in a good direction and there is a tendency for conflict to escalate into more violence. If not addressed, this could cause damage to the country and the beloved institution, as well as to peace and the safety of people's lives and property," he said, as reported by the Bangkok Post.

Also, this one from Australian-Chinese artist Badiucao is very cool and I just wanted to add it in: 

Stay safe everyone, the world is watching! 

Further reading:

A 27-year-old sales consultant who asked to be identified by her Twitter handle @punpods for privacy reasons said she uses Twitter to keep up with boy band GOT7. She said she is now more "aware" of what's going on, echoing a view of some first-time protesters who say social media is a way of getting different kinds of information and steering clear of government narratives.

"It's different news from other platforms. Maybe not fact-checked, but it's another platform to receive different sides of information and opinions whether you agree or disagree."

@punpods attended her first ever protest in Bangkok on Oct .15 and another one the following day.

Huge, yellow, inflatable, the rubber ducks were pushed to the front and took on the brunt of the water cannons. Few knew where they came from. But all witnessed their heroism: protesters, veiled with thin green plastic rain jackets, ducked behind the ducks as wave after wave of chemicals hit the protesters. Afterward, pictures were disseminated in the press: of the rubber ducks, slightly deflated, stained purple but still smiling.

“They’re our protectors,” wrote one twitter user. “The little duck is our MVP!” wrote another.  ‘Armors, water cannons and tear gas vs. rubber ducks and balloons,’ captioned a dramatic rendering of November 17’s events.

The Government of Thailand should comply with its international obligations under the ICCPR to respect and facilitate the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. Primary to this is to end the use of police violence, or tactics that lead to further conflict. Police officers who engaged in any form of brutality or violence in yesterday’s protests, should be held accountable.

While the Government presents itself as being committed to dialogue, its actions yesterday cast doubts on its willingness to engage meaningfully. It should prove that it is committed towards the protection of the rights of all, even those that pose dissent or unpopular opinions.

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