The modern Thai student movement - Part III
Emma Arnold and Apisra Srivanich-Raper
After tanks and military boots were deployed on the streets of Bangkok on 22 May to stage another coup d’état not even a decade after the 2006 coup, many anti-coup political dissidents flocked to the streets to protest against the new military regime. With the subsequent imposition of martial law however, the voices of these political dissidents eventually died down after months of arbitrary arrests and detention.
Nonetheless, it has become clearer that the new military regime’s reform policies and proposed bills on various issues, such as education, energy, natural resources, land reform, forestry, immigration, education and tax, will benefit some groups of people while negatively affecting others. NGOs and political activists have begun to challenge the junta once again despite the imposition of the martial law, which gives the regime unprecedented power to make arrests over any expression of anti-coup opinion. In November, five student activists from the Dao Din group of Khon Kaen University in the Northeast, gave the three-fingered salute to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader. The students were immediately detained and later interrogated by the military. The military also involved their parents and threatened to have them fired from the university if they did not accept the junta’s conditions. Although the junta might expect the harsh treatment and intimidation of the Khon Kaen students to serve as a lesson to keep other young activists at bay, the result was the opposite.
One after another, despite the presumption that the era of Thai student movement ended with the bloody student massacre of October 1976, student activists of various political orientations began once again to voice opposition to the suppression by the junta. Although these new student movements are not mass youth movements affiliated with political ideologies as in the 1970s, neither are they affiliated with the current colour-coded political divide in Thailand. These young activists began to engage in many regional and national problems despite the obstacle of the martial law. To look into the history, dreams, and aspirations of these student activists, who are now at the forefront of Thailand’s political mobilization, Prachatai introduces the series “The Modern Student Movement,” by Emma Arnold and Apisra Srivanich-Raper.
Continue from Part I and Part II
Working with the University
The Student Club for Development (ชมรมนักศึกษาเพื่อการพัฒนา), Khon Kaen University
Affiliation: University, Members: 100
Unlike Dao Din and Soom Kiew Dao, the Student Club for Development is a university-affiliated student organization. The university is their primary source of funding and approval. Members believe that being part of the university framework is better than being an independent organization.
“We have more credit when we work with villages because they ask us ‘Where are you from?’ And we say we are from KKU. We have the name of the university affiliated with our group, so we are more credible,” said Nichaphat Weeriyapukkanun, the organization’s newly elected president.
The group was founded in 1984 alongside the University’s Social Development program, with the primary goal of offering students the opportunity to do hands-on work with local communities. Today, this is accomplished through multi-day visits to local villages where members study development problems and later return to help implement solutions.
“I think my group is special because I have the chance to study communities and build a relationship with them,” explained Pornpailin Kaewwungpa, a third-year member. “People who only stay in the classroom cannot do this; they don't know the other world.”
Though they take a very similar grassroots approach to the distinctly political Dao Din, the students in The Student Club for Development are quick to establish that their group is not a political organization. If they were to be more directly involved in politics, it is unlikely that the university would continue to fund their group.
“We focus only on social development, we let political beliefs be individual interests,” said Budsaban Somboopan, the organization’s former president. “I believe that my group gives each member the freedom of thinking,” said Phongsathon Kapmanee. He does not see this as being the case in the independent political organizations like Dao Din.
“I have found that in the Dao Din group, the members are not independent. When they think about something, every member thinks about it in the same way. There is some power that makes them all believe in the same things,” he explained.
Without shared political interests, members of the Student Club for Development are united in the simple desire to better society. It is apparent that this is what matters most to them.
“I am studying social development because I want to do something for society. I want to help people
การเคลื่อนไหวนักเรียนทันสมัย - ส่วนที่สาม Emma อาร์โนลด์และ Apisra Srivanich-Raperหลังจากที่รถถังและทหารรองเท้าถูกจัดวางบนท้องถนนของกรุงเทพมหานครวันที่ 22 พฤษภาคมไปเวทีอื่นประหารไม่ค่อยทศวรรษหลังจากการรัฐประหาร 2006 หลายรัฐประหารต่อต้านการเมืองประมวลมาถนนเพื่อประท้วงต่อต้านระบอบทหารใหม่ มีการจัดเก็บภาษีที่ตามมาของกฎอัยการศึก อย่างไรก็ตามเสียงของประมวลการเมืองเหล่านี้ในที่สุดตายลงหลังจากเดือนของการจับกุมตามอำเภอใจและกักขังNonetheless, it has become clearer that the new military regime’s reform policies and proposed bills on various issues, such as education, energy, natural resources, land reform, forestry, immigration, education and tax, will benefit some groups of people while negatively affecting others. NGOs and political activists have begun to challenge the junta once again despite the imposition of the martial law, which gives the regime unprecedented power to make arrests over any expression of anti-coup opinion. In November, five student activists from the Dao Din group of Khon Kaen University in the Northeast, gave the three-fingered salute to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader. The students were immediately detained and later interrogated by the military. The military also involved their parents and threatened to have them fired from the university if they did not accept the junta’s conditions. Although the junta might expect the harsh treatment and intimidation of the Khon Kaen students to serve as a lesson to keep other young activists at bay, the result was the opposite.One after another, despite the presumption that the era of Thai student movement ended with the bloody student massacre of October 1976, student activists of various political orientations began once again to voice opposition to the suppression by the junta. Although these new student movements are not mass youth movements affiliated with political ideologies as in the 1970s, neither are they affiliated with the current colour-coded political divide in Thailand. These young activists began to engage in many regional and national problems despite the obstacle of the martial law. To look into the history, dreams, and aspirations of these student activists, who are now at the forefront of Thailand’s political mobilization, Prachatai introduces the series “The Modern Student Movement,” by Emma Arnold and Apisra Srivanich-Raper.Continue from Part I and Part IIWorking with the UniversityThe Student Club for Development (ชมรมนักศึกษาเพื่อการพัฒนา), Khon Kaen UniversityAffiliation: University, Members: 100Unlike Dao Din and Soom Kiew Dao, the Student Club for Development is a university-affiliated student organization. The university is their primary source of funding and approval. Members believe that being part of the university framework is better than being an independent organization.“We have more credit when we work with villages because they ask us ‘Where are you from?’ And we say we are from KKU. We have the name of the university affiliated with our group, so we are more credible,” said Nichaphat Weeriyapukkanun, the organization’s newly elected president.The group was founded in 1984 alongside the University’s Social Development program, with the primary goal of offering students the opportunity to do hands-on work with local communities. Today, this is accomplished through multi-day visits to local villages where members study development problems and later return to help implement solutions.“I think my group is special because I have the chance to study communities and build a relationship with them,” explained Pornpailin Kaewwungpa, a third-year member. “People who only stay in the classroom cannot do this; they don't know the other world.”Though they take a very similar grassroots approach to the distinctly political Dao Din, the students in The Student Club for Development are quick to establish that their group is not a political organization. If they were to be more directly involved in politics, it is unlikely that the university would continue to fund their group.“We focus only on social development, we let political beliefs be individual interests,” said Budsaban Somboopan, the organization’s former president. “I believe that my group gives each member the freedom of thinking,” said Phongsathon Kapmanee. He does not see this as being the case in the independent political organizations like Dao Din.“I have found that in the Dao Din group, the members are not independent. When they think about something, every member thinks about it in the same way. There is some power that makes them all believe in the same things,” he explained.Without shared political interests, members of the Student Club for Development are united in the simple desire to better society. It is apparent that this is what matters most to them.“I am studying social development because I want to do something for society. I want to help people
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