YDS 2021 in Review

In December 2020, the Constitutional
Court ruled in favour of the Prime
Minister in a conflict of interest case
concerning his use of military housing.
Frustrations boiled over once more.
Thousands of casualties followed
before another brief halt due to a surge
in COVID-19 infections. During this quiet
break, the leaders of Free Youth were
prosecuted under the Lese Majeste law.
Nevertheless, in February 2021, Free
Youth rebranded itself under the name
“Restart Democracy” and began to
regain momentum. Riots intensified
from their 2020 peak, with violence
erupting on both sides. The police’s use
of water cannons and tear gas was met
with Molotov cocktails by the
protestors.
In March, the Thai Parliament again
voted down two constitutional bills after
the Constitutional Court held that the
amendment must pass a referendum
first. Throughout 2021, the movement
continued to spread across the country,
with rallies in over 30 provinces. The
protests were mainly peaceful, but the
use of water cannons and tear gas by
the police increased, resulting in a
higher number of casualties.
Further arrests of prominent activists
under the Lese Majeste law followed. In
August, the prominent activist Benja
Apan was arrested for claiming that the
2014 coup only benefited the elite and
calling for constitutional reform. Further
demands were made regarding
vaccines and a reboot of the economy.
In October, Thai activist Panusaya
Sithijirawattanakul was arrested by the
Royal Thai Police after calling for the
repeal of the Lese Majeste law. Around
3,000 protestors gathered to witness
Panusaya’s speech in a central Bangkok
shopping district, during which she
used a razor blade to engrave the text
“112” into her left arm. Panusaya is
currently facing the prospect of a
lengthy prison sentence.
In November, the Constitutional Court
made another ruling stating that the
demands to reform the monarchy were
illegal and the anti-government
activists, including Panusaya, aimed to
overthrow the monarchy during their
speeches made in August 2020. Street
rallies at the Democracy Monument
and the Grand Palace intensified, this
time in opposition to the Court. Effigies
of Constitutional Court judges were
burnt and the riots have only intensified
since.
The Thailand protests have lasted for
almost 22 months. Since then, around
300 protestors, leaders and supporters
of the pro-democracy movement have
been arrested and detained. The Thai
government has stated that it will show
zero tolerance towards dissent. But this
hasn’t stopped the youth in their efforts
to radicalise the nation, and they
remain committed to the same
objectives: reform of the monarchy,
freedom of self-expression, and the
abolition of Lese Majeste. In any event,
the demonstrations have broken a
longstanding taboo of speaking out
against the monarchy.
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