Thailand has a long history of political unrest and protest, but a new wave began in February 2020 after a popular opposition political party was ordered to dissolve. The growing pro-democracy movement has been calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a military chief who seized power in a 2014 coup and was later appointed after controversial elections in 2019. Protestors are calling for amendments to the constitution, a new election, curbs on the monarchy and the king’s powers, and an end to the harassment of activists and state/monarchy critics. So throughout 2020, hundreds of thousands of protestors gathered on the streets and college campuses all over Bangkok, hundreds have been arrested, and dozens have been injured from things like water cannons and tear gas that the police have used.

In today’s episode, Anna Naiyapatana, a senior at Georgetown University from Bangkok, Thailand, talks about reconciling with her American and Thai identities, the history of the pro-democracy movement and the 2020 protests, her social media/news group เฟมินิสต์หน่อย (@feministnhoi), conversations about feminism and gender equality happening within the movement, and her unique perspectives as a Thai student studying in the U.S..

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เฟมินิสต์หน่อย (@feministnhoi) Twitter and Facebook: https://twitter.com/feministnhoi?lang=en, https://www.facebook.com/feministnhoi

Resources on the history of Thailand’s pro-democracy movement and protests: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uLhWf1TRwXqkW_aqLRXjJlB6VEEk4Hg3-W-r27gthy0/edit?usp=sharing

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Thank you to mariokhol and Pixabay for the music!