Absolute Monarchy
Absolute monarchy can be defined as the monarchy in which the king or queen has total power over important issues of national interest. That means that the constitution or laws do not limit the leader. Thailand was under absolute monarchy until 1932 when it was declared a constitutional monarchy. The change came from public demand to limit the powers of the monarchy through laws and the constitution. The kingdom achieved significant progress in reducing the monarchial powers. However, some events in the recent past seemed to take the kingdom back to absolutism. King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been accused of exercising powers beyond the limits of laws and the constitution. The monarchy has been using various strategies to suppress civil liberties. For example, criticizing the monarchy is sometimes perceived as insulting the king, which is punishable to at least 15 years of imprisonment. The media has also experienced significant suppression through legal action, censorship, and intimidation. According to []]]], the monarchy discouraged the international media from covering the 2019 elections. Some pieces of information about injustice in the kingdom were said to be harmful and too sensitive. For that reason, the monarchy prevented international media from accessing information that portrayed some degree of absolutism.
Waves of Democracy
Waves of democracy can be defined as the occurrence of substantial democratic changes over a significantly large area at a particular time. Students in Thailand have been pressurizing the monarchy to allow for democratic practices. They are against all practices that portray absolutism, such as suppression of the freedom of the media. They call for free and fair elections based on universal suffrage. Most student protestors felt that the Prayut Chan-ocha government did not promote democracy adequately. Chan-ocha used many strategies to discourage criticisms against practices that seemed to promote absolutism. Students across the kingdom organized mass protests to call for change toward democratization. However, Chan-ocha declared most of the protests as ‘illegal.’ For that reason, the police used a significantly strong force against the protestors. Students called for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to leave the office. They also demanded constitutional amendments that would give the citizens powers to make important political decisions. The Thai government seems to have a negative attitude toward change, as displayed through several approaches to discourage protests. The government has used the police to block roads through which the students passed when conducting the protests. That is a clear indication that the Thailand monarchy was against democratization.
Coup D’état
Coup d’état can be described as the acquisition of power by removing an existing government. It is mostly achieved by the use of a significantly high degree of force. This students social movement can be described as a coup d’état. The students have been using significantly strong force against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. In February 2020, the protests were conducted in schools. However, the progress got discouraged by the COVID-19 pandemic that led to the closure of schools. Later in July, protests were conducted to pressure the government to draft a new constitution, dissolve parliament, and end intimidation of the people. The government’s response tactics evidence the high degree of force. For example, thousands of police officers were being used to quell aggression. Other approaches include police intimidation and arbitrary arrests, using the Emergency Decree to fill criminal charges, and media censorship. It seems that the students want a government that is more democratic than the current. They are believed to be receiving significant support from external parties and non-governmental organizations. It also seems that removing the current government might be the best way they can achieve their goals. Thai students seem to have a relatively high level of political efficacy. That is evidenced by the government’s response strategies, which portray the fear of being overthrown. Based on the definition of democracy as a government for the people and by the people, the Thai citizens have all the responsibility to achieve it.
Structural Violence
Structural violence can be described as a form of violence in which a social system marginalizes a particular group of people by limiting their access to basic needs. According to []]], the direct violence experienced in the southern border regions are largely influenced by the existence of structural violence. The government is accused of using multiple strategies to limit the southern communities from accessing basic needs. The government has been working hard enough to assimilate some ethnic minorities in the south into Thailand. The assimilation process has been associated with many events that significantly limit the communities from accessing basic needs. For example, religion is a basic necessity for the mental health of most people in the southern parts. The Thai government has been trying to ensure that the entire nation subscribes to the Buddhist religion. To achieve that goal, the government declared Saturday and Sunday only as the non-working days. That discourages the Muslim population in the south who recognize Friday as their non-working day.