The months-long protests in Thailand that involve the country’s youth, who have demanded changes to its constitutional monarchy, continued last week. Riot police used water cannons to break up at least one demonstration that was approaching Bangkok’s Grand Palace.
These protesters have also called on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to step down.
The Guardian reported that the crowd on Sunday did not disperse after the police tactic and even put on goggles and helmets to prepare for the next assault. The report said many protesters carried “mock letterboxes” loaded with letters urging reform. One report, citing police, said the water cannons were a warning.
“Down with feudalism, long live the people!” protesters chanted as they worked their way toward the palace, the Financial Times reported. The paper reported the movement’s anthem was, “Do you Hear the People Sing?” from Les Misérables. The refrain in the song is, “A people who will not be slaves again.”
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, told the paper the monarchy in the country went from being a “taboo subject” to being front and center.
“The students, at minimum, succeeded in making the monarchy a policy issue for discussion and debate,” he said.
The protesters were praised by outside observers because they face strict prison sentences. The penalty is 15 years if they insult or threaten the king. The Guardian reported 84 protesters have been charged since 13 October.
TREND FORECAST: As we have written, discontent in Thailand has been brewing since the 2014 military coup d’état.
As with the Hong Kong protesters who ignited the uprising in 2019, many of the demonstrators are young adults.
And, as with Hong Kong, which is now under full control of Beijing, we do not forecast the ruling Thai government relinquishing power or meeting the demonstrator’s demands. As we have previously forecast, unless a wider and older demographic strongly supports the young peoples’ demands and participates with them, the Thai military will quash the current movement.
We also note that should the COVID War continue to rage on and Thailand’s economy continue to deteriorate, despite harsh military crackdowns, protests, uprisings, and civil unrest will continue. As Gerald Celente says, “When people lose everything and have nothing left to lose, they lose it.”
