Words: Tom Ward
The tweets, all 1.2 million of them posted by the Thai people, asked the same question: “Why do we need a king?” As Thailand struggled through the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic while its king partied in a Bavarian hotel, it seemed, and remains, a vital question.
It’s a question that’s still being asked, loudly, by thousands of protestors. Earlier this month, 18,000 activists gathered outside the Grand Palace, calling for the end of the monarchy. Despite laws which prohibit any ill words against the monarchy, and are enforceable with up to 15 years in prison, a new generation is finally standing up for what they believe in, chanting “down with feudalism” outside the palace this past weekend.
In Thailand, around 75% of citizens are active social media users and, as in Hong Kong, protestors are finding it a great way to plan social movements. But with apps like Facebook and Twitter subject to increasingly strict government interference, protestors are getting creative, even using dating apps like Tinder to communicate.
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