Sociopolitical Movements
Recent protests in Thailand and Myanmar have adopted the three finger salute from The Hunger Games trilogy as a symbol of resistance; but, what sparked these protests in the beginning? Before my analysis, it's helpful to understand the background of the movement. Read on for more information, or skip right to the discussion for lighter reading!
Thailand
1973
1976
1991
2006
2010
2014
2016
2020
1973: Students riot in Bangkok. The military government falls, and free elections are held.
1976: Military takes power again.
1991: Another military coup, the 17th since 1932.
2006: Military leaders stage another coup, Surayud Chulanont is appointed Prime Minister.
2010: Tens of thousands of protests stall Bangkok with month long demonstrations, calling for early elections, 91 people die as a result.
2014: Another military coup sparks protests across the country.
2016: King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies, his son takes over with negative opinions from the public.
Anti-government protests break out again, in defiance of laws banning the criticism of the monarchy
Information for the timeline from the Thailand Profile.
Thailand’s recent leadership has moved from military coup to military coup (see the timeline above), continuing into present time. Similar to Myanmar, Thailand has a long history wrought with conflict from hostile takeovers to the massacre of protesters. The monarchy has frequently provided silent consent to military rule in return for blurred lines between politics and the crown; laws intended to protect the king have often instead been used to silence political opponents (Neuman, 2020).
On May 22, 2014, the military staged yet another coup and attempted to silence any criticism of the coup through banning certain television stations and websites, though unsuccessfully (Rahman, 2020). Thousands of anti-protesters rose up immediately following the coup, demanding the resignation of the military-appointed prime minister and reformation of the political system. People took to the streets, even shutting down key junctions for months in Bangkok, with the call for a democratic turn (Thailand, 2014). The peaceful protests continued on from 2014, with the youth taking over the call for dissolving the parliament and holding new elections. Adding on to the calls for government reform, protestors in 2020 also began to turn even more on the monarchy. After the widely respected King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in 2016, his son, Vajiralongkorn, took over, much to public dismay; with his lavish spending and frequent time outside of the country, especially in the pandemic, much of the country turned against Vajiralongkorn (Neuman, 2020). His disregard for the general public has led to resentment among the public, and many began to protest the laws forbidding criticism of the monarchy. On October 14, 2020, protesters even taunted the king and queen as they passed by in a royal motorcade in blatant defiance of the law (Neuman, 2020). “It is reflective of how a new generation of protesters sees the monarchy and military-backed regime as intertwined and that political reform demands reform of the monarchy as well," Kevin Hewison, a professor of Asian studies at the University of North Carolina, emphasized (Neuman, 2020). The protests have continued almost daily since July 2020 and into the present time, challenging the ruling army and monarchy. The results are still yet to be known.
Myanmar
1942
1948
1962
1988-89
2007
2010
2015
2021
1942: Japan invades and occupies what was then Burma.
1948: Burma becomes independent with U Nu as prime minister.
1962: U Nu's faction is ousted in a military coup; the rule of the military junta begins.
1988-89: Thousands of people are killed in anti-government riots; Aung San Suu Kyi is put under house arrest.
2007: Monks protested against the oppressive government in what would become known as the Saffron Revolution.
2010: Aung San Suu Kyi is released from house arrest.
2015: Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD party sweep the first democratic election in Myanmar's history.
2021: The governing NLD beat pro-military candidates in the November elections, prompting the army to allege voting fraud and hold a military coup in February. Protests break out across the country.
Information for the timeline from the Myanmar Profile.
Myanmar (also known as Burma) is a relatively small country in Southeast Asia with a population of around 54 million and bordered by Thailand, Laos, and Bangladesh (Cuddy, 2021). Its history has been laden with turmoil, political unrest, and oppression since its independence from the British in 1948. Between 1962 and 2011, it was ruled with an iron fist by the military junta, who staged a coup on the government in March of 1962, making the government a military-controlled, one-party system (Asher, 2021). Under the junta, unrest and insurgency dominated society, despite the government’s attempts to suppress it, and thousands of unarmed protesters, students, and workers were killed throughout protests (Cuddy, 2021). Basic freedoms like criticizing the government were nonexistent.
May 1990 held some promise with the first multiparty election in 30 years, with the two main parties being the government’s National Unity Party (NUP) and the National League for Democracy (NLD), an opposition party (Asher, 2021). The NLD won in a landslide; however, the current government did not permit the legislature (Ashe, 2021), and NLD party leaders (like the famed Aung San Suu Kyi) were kept under house arrest (Aung San Suu Kyi, 2021). The government went on to solidify their influence in the economy and politics. The situation looked more positive coming into 2015, where the NLD once again swept the elections and created a new legislature. Although the military still held significant power and influence, the NLD was able to make reforms and move the country toward democracy.
Recently, this vision was shattered, following the 2020 election, and led to the protests my research is concerned with. The NLD party won yet again, but the military rejected the results, and, in February 2021, seized power in another military coup (Bostock, 2021). Since then, the military declared a year-long state of emergency and promised re-elections in the indeterminate future. Protesters have taken to peaceful protesting, singing, creating art, and walking in the streets, and include teachers, medical professionals, students, lawyers, bank officers, and government workers. In particular, younger populations of “gen-z” are leading the charge (Myanmar Artists, 2021). The military has cut access to the internet to limit the protestors and imposed certain restrictions, including curfews and bans on social media. Police and security forces have used water cannons, rubber bullets, and ammunition on protesters in an attempt to quell the resistance. These protests continue today, and their outcome is yet to be determined.
Ways to help:
Although I'm analyzing these protests for my research, it is important to remember that these movements are continuing today and impacting real people who need help. For information on how to help in Thailand, check out Coconet's guide and consider donating to funds like the Fund for Global Human Rights. For information on how to help in Myanmar, check out threefingers.org and their donation links and Insider's recommendations for helping protesters on the ground. For me, this is just a research project, but this is real life for the people living and suffering in these movements for resistance.
