“Freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.” This is a famous quote by former United States (U.S.) President Franklin D. Roosevelt and probably suits the situation very well for the Pro-Democracy protest in Thailand. The protestors are making history not just by their significant number but by challenging the Thai monarchy — which is not an ordinary phenomenon in this Buddhist nation.

According to New Mandela, an academic blog on South East Asian affairs, Thailand has had 13 successful and nine unsuccessful military coups since 1932. This has resulted in 29 Prime Ministers during a period in which the U.S. had 15 Presidents. Likewise, Thailand did not have a stable government and had only one Prime Minister serving a full term, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, who was able to do so during a turbulent period with continuous military coups and political instability.

How the Protests Started

Thailand has two main political camps: the so called Red shirts and Yellow shirts. To put it simply, the Reds mainly consists of farmers and lower-income groups, while the Yellow shirts comprise members of the ruling class, such as the middle class, civil servants, and aristocrats. The Reds are in favor of populist policies, while the Yellow shirts support the royal family.

The political turmoil increased in 2006 when the Yellow shirts opposed the then Prime Minister Mr. Thaksin, and a military coup then followed to depose him. The Thai military then drew up a new constitution that led to elections in 2007, in which the Red shirts won again. The Yellow shirts formed another opposition group, which deposed another Prime Minister and appointed a member of the Yellow shirts as Prime Minister.

The Red shirts did not accept the new Prime Minister and took it to the streets, leading to another round of elections in 2011, which concluded with a Red shirts Prime Minister. This event led to the latest coup in 2014 after the Yellow shirts refused to acknowledge the new Prime Minister. As can be seen by all these changes, Thai politics has had a strong divide for a long time and has been waiting for another change.

The latest protests in Thailand were triggered after the FFP (Future Forward Party) — the political party associated with the Red shirts —was dissolved in February this year. Protests saw a short pause during measures to stop the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) but resumed in mid-July with demands for the current Prime Minister’s removal, a new constitution, and a halt to the harassment of activists. Some of these protestors went so far as to demand a reform of the monarchy, which alarmed the Yellow shirts.

Why Recent Protests are Special

Unlike past years of political turmoil, recent protests stand out for many reasons. One of these is the protestors’ demands that the Thai King, Maha Vajiralongkorn’s power be curbed. According to Professor Han Yuseok (Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage and Information Science, JBNU) such a demand is remarkable in that the Thai constitution states that the King must be held in a state of “revered worship.” The resistance shown by the people here is therefore, noteworthy.

Another unusual fact about the recent events in Thailand is the challenge to the current Prime Minister, Mr. Prayut Chan-o-cha. As a former member of the Thai military junta, Mr. Prayut became Prime Minister in 2014. Due to all the political instability and its incomplete democracy, there has always been social unrest that led to frequent military takeovers. Experts say that this is what developed a coup culture in Thailand.

The coup culture does not imply that the Thai culture is prone to coups, but it has normalized coups in its society, as people see them as a way to bring back law and order. According to CNBC an American news agency, this phenomenon occurs in nations which are neither fully democratic nor dictatorial. The huge crowds challenging the military government is, therefore, an unusual occasion which might help Thailand to break out of its never-ending cycle of military coups.

Protestor’s Tactics

This year has seen protests across the globe, and tactics are changing to suit the situation of each protest. Thailand, for example, has not only been following Hong Kong’s example by utilizing umbrellas and becoming leaderless as a movement, but it is starting to develop its own unique tactics. One example was bringing Korean pop (K-pop) into protests. A huge portion of the protestors are high school and university students, and this may be why K-pop made its entrance in Thailand’s pursuit of full democracy. To use Professor Hans words popular culture may be in use in order to unify people from all generations.

As protests in Thailand started to prolong, many people have searched for methods to keep themselves occupied at rallies while advertising their cause. Thailand’s K-pop protest has seen the inclusion of many popular songs such as Into the New World (2007), which was also sung at student rallies against former South Korean President Park Geun-hye in 2017. Peaceful protest methods, such as the K-pop protest, have raised awareness the movement significantly whilst showing its peaceful nature.

One of the protestors told the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based English newspaper, that Into The New World is meaningful for the movement because when it is translated into Thai, it translates as inspiration and the start of the new world with true democracy. Many see this unique form of protest as a method for generations to connect and have more interest in Thai politics.

Thailand’s pursuit of full democracy remains an ongoing issue, and the political stalemate is one that will not end in the near future. Many aspects of the movement, such as curbing the power of the Thai monarch, will remain controversial. However, as the protests stand out from their many predecessors, many people hope real change can be achieved with the current political movement and that this change will be for the better — just as South Korea has experienced in its history.