AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Hunger games salute1/30/2024 "Students see politics through the lens of school life that lacks democracy and has many highly authoritarian elements," said Prajak Kongkirati, a political scientist at Thammasat University in Bangkok. He says the elections were fair.Īpart from the political demands, some pupils complain of a school system which emphasizes obedience and tradition, from lining up daily for the national anthem to strict rules on uniforms, haircuts and behavior. Protesters accuse Prayuth of holding on to power unfairly after elections last year under rules drawn up his junta. "I heard from some students that those that don't want to take part in these actions gets bullied into doing it," he said. Prayuth told reporters he was willing to listen to the students but questioned the motives of some. The school did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.Įducation Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan said at an educational fair in Bangkok on Monday that the students had the right to express themselves and should not be punished, but also warned that there was a limit to how far they should go. "I want to show that I don't like dictatorship and want true democracy," said one 17-year-old student who joined the protest at a government school on Monday and said she did not want to be named for fear of reprisals after pressure from teachers. Some students have also called for reforms to the monarchy, once a taboo subject. Some students also wore white ribbons to show their support for protesters, who seek Prayuth's departure, a new constitution and an end to the harassment of activists. The three-finger salute has been a symbol of calls for democracy since Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha first took power in a 2014 coup. High school protests during morning assemblies began in at least eight schools on Monday. BANGKOK - Pupils at more than a dozen Thai high schools raised three-finger "Hunger Games" salutes during the national anthem on Tuesday in a sign of spreading support for student-led anti-government protests.ĭemonstrations that began on university campuses have taken place almost daily since mid-July in an increasing challenge to the ruling establishment in the Southeast Asian country that has long been dominated by the army and the monarchy.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |