Campus protests spread as junta lifts ban for election

Peaceful protests led by student activist groups have sprung up on university campuses across Thailand in recent weeks after the country’s military government lifted the ban on political gatherings in preparation for national elections – the first since the junta came to power in 2014 – now scheduled for 24 March.

The demands of student groups echo those who have gathered in a series of political protests taking place nationwide since the ban was lifted – to demand that the elections are not postponed yet again. The ‘#PostponeMyAss’ hashtag was trending as most-used hashtag nationwide hours after Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam announced on 3 December that the originally scheduled election date of 24 February could be postponed.

On Wednesday 23 January the Election Commission finally announced that the election would go ahead on 24 March, which has now been endorsed by Royal Decree. The new constitution stipulates the election must be held within 150 days after the relevant election laws came into effect. These bills, endorsed by the King, came into effect on 11 December.

Since the ban on political gatherings was lifted on 1 December, at least eight universities across Thailand – in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Khon Kaen, Pattani, Sakolnakorn – have seen student activist groups gathering on campus.

One of the main demands up until this week was for the junta not to postpone elections. Protesters feared repeated postponements were a government tactic to buy time to stay in power longer and win the election.

Even politically-dormant high school students voiced frustration at the previous uncertainty surrounding the national election as the national university entrance examination had been brought forward from 23-26 February to 16-19 February in order not to clash with the original 24 February poll date, which was later dropped.

The junta, also known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has been promising the country would return to democracy, scheduling elections at least five times since 2015.

The justification for postponements in the past has been delays in legal and constitutional procedures and delays in printing the ballots. Most recently, the reason given for the postponement from the date in February was that it would allegedly interfere with the coronation ceremony of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, set for 4-6 May. The King ascended the throne in 2016.

“Postponing the election is depriving us of our rights as students as well as civilians as we want to vote and determine the policies of our country,” said Prasith Krutharoj, a student activist from Chiang Mai University in northern Thailand, who led the protest at Chiang Mai University on 18 January, before the election commission’s announcement.

Prasith is currently facing several charges for joining a pro-election protest in 2017 when such activities were still banned.

Noppadon Phojai, a representative of the Democratic Youth Party, a student party at Chiang Mai University, said he joined the protest because the uncertainty surrounding the election makes it difficult for youth to plan their future in Thailand, particularly as the economy is deteriorating. The Thai economy slowed sharply in 2014 during the military takeover and has not been back up since.

“As a soon-to-be graduate, I find it disturbing that there is no certainty around our political system and economic situation,” said Noppadon.

The students also criticised increasingly high military spending, which has increased 4% from the previous year.

Still some restrictions for protests

In 2014, the junta issued orders prohibiting political gatherings of more than five people and has since then shut down hundreds of public events and gatherings. At least 1,800 dissidents were arrested and are due to be tried by military courts, according to Human Rights Watch.

Prasith said that although the political ban has been lifted, students were summoned by the Chiang Mai University management inquiring about the purpose of their activities. However, the university administration allowed the campus gatherings to go ahead.

According to students, a few plainclothes police were present, taking photographs of the protesters – a usual tactic during political gatherings in Thailand in recent years.

And there continue to be some limitations. Local Thai news outlet Prachatai reported on 16 January that police had attempted to ban a protest by students at Burapha University, Chonburi province, citing the regulations of the Public Gathering Bill 2015. The protest was still able to go ahead but on condition the students changed the location from the public area outside the university to within the university campus.

And students note that Article 44, a law which gives the government the right to detain people arbitrarily on national security grounds, is still in place.

Students and commentators say this election is about more than just electing members of parliament but is about determining whether the military regime will go or stay in the country, which has seen 12 military takeovers in the past 87 years.

General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the prime minister and NCPO head, is not running for the election himself, but a number of political parties contesting the elections, including the pro-junta party that consists of four current ministers, have publicly voiced support for him to become prime minister.

The current constitution, drafted by the military-handpicked Constitution Drafting Committee and passed during a 2016 referendum, allows an unelected prime minister and a third of the legislative assembly to be handpicked by the military.