Democracy and Uncertainty in Thailand
By: Ben Samahon, CAS ’26
GRIP: PR and Marketing in Bangkok
A sea of protesters holding colorful umbrellas blanket the intersection below the Bangkok Asok skytrain station, weathering the pouring rain which turns to mist around them. Military and police stand alert from across the intersection, their police lights reflecting in the wet street.
Thailand is in the midst of a social and political transformation.
Thailand is not a democracy: A 2014 coup against the democratic government established a military regime with power consolidated in the Thai monarchy and an unelected Senate put in power by the military. The coup received negative international attention, which saw the EU and the UN condemn the new government and for Taylor Swift to cancel The Red Tour in Bangkok.
Corruption, censorship, and severe economic inequality have plagued Thailand and Thailand’s relatively new military government. This has led the increasingly more vocal younger Thai generation to speak out against the rulings of the government.
I saw firsthand this struggle for basic fundamental political, social, and economic freedoms over the course of my GRIP placement in Bangkok.
Protests—like those described above—became common in the latter half of my GRIP internship in Bangkok. International SOS alerts for activism and civil unrest sent me zigzagging around the city on the BTS and MRT subway to avoid congested areas of the city for the possibility of civil unrest.
This increased political activism and noise all culminated in the election of a new cabinet during my GRIP placement: a race that saw Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Thailand’s Move Forward Party, win the majority of the seats required to become Prime Minister (PM).
However, even though he received a majority of Thai votes, he would not become prime minister.
Pita’s campaign centered around democratic reform, transparency, and freedom of speech in Thailand. Part of his controversial campaign was to abolish section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, which imprisons anyone who speaks ill of the monarchy (lèse-majesté), and to cut military spending.
Despite winning a majority of the seats required to become PM, the unelected Thai senate (put in power by the 2014 coup) moved to block his nomination and suspend him from parliament—citing that Pita had undeclared shares in the now defunct media company iTV, which is against Thai election laws. Supporters of Pita proclaim that the military government was just looking for a formality to render his candidacy ineligible and prevent his sweeping reforms—which would draw power away from them.
Pita barred from office, the future of Thailand’s political landscape and democracy is uncertain. Thailand is caught between a political divide that cuts across generations. In my discussions with Thai locals, they have expressed how the older generation has a strong attachment to the monarchy and views the younger generation as unruly and turning their back on their Thai national heritage and culture, while the younger generation views the monarchy and the military government as an outdated relic that perpetuates inequality.
Symbols of this divide can be seen almost hidden in plain sight in coffee shops across Bangkok, where gold gilded photos of the king and queen hang carefully on the cafe walls, serving drinks to the younger generation with democracy and Milk Tea Alliance stickers on their laptops (an online informal union of pro-democracy activists across Southeast Asia).
As an outsider from the other side of the globe, I was far removed from the political struggles of the Thai people and the implications of these current events. However, being abroad and experiencing mass protests for human rights—liberties that we take for granted everyday here in America—was an immensely humbling and thought provoking experience.
The current political turmoil represents the intersection of multiple issues cutting deep into the fabric of Thailand’s national identity and the immediate future is uncertain. However, talking to members of the younger generation, there is only hope and a strong sentiment that the true election results are only the beginning of a more democratic future for Thailand. Echoed in the words of Pita Limjaroenrat, “We will win definitely, if not immediately.”
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce.