A youth leader of Thailand’s growing pro-democracy movement has been hospitalized after 46 days on hunger strike while in pretrial detention for allegedly insulting the Thai monarchy.
Thai protests on October 14 a catalyst for resurgent democracy movement. The date commemorates mass protests in 1973 that led to the ouster of a junta leader, but it’s unclear if this year’s movement can lead to lasting changes.
As protests in Thailand gain momentum, harsh laws and censorship have restricted citizens from engaging in meaningful political discourse. However, mounting protest campaigns on social media are putting the government on the defensive.
Thailand’s new youth-led democracy movement has held near-daily protests since July, demanding a new constitution, a new parliament and unprecedented reform of the monarchy. Parliament’s recent move to delay its vote on charter reform suggests the government is out of touch and doesn’t realize that the protestors won’t back down.