Thai realism becomes manifest as the anti-government movement expands

BANGKOK, September 2 (Reuters) – Often seen behind the wheel of one of his supercars, Thai ultra-realist Tanat “Nat” Thanakitamnuay became a well-known face in the protests that launched the Thai coup on 2014.

He is now back on the streets demanding the removal of coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as prime minister and reforms to the monarchy, a change of heart that points to the expansion of Thailand’s latest anti-government movement.

“It’s bad for your mental health to see an incompetent prime minister,” said 29-year-old Nat, who was permanently blinded in the right eye last month after being hit by a tear gas canister in a protest .

He changed sides in part because of anger over the government’s criticized management of the latest coronavirus outbreak, which has led to severe economic hardship and nearly 12,000 deaths.

This has given new life to a student-led protest movement that emerged last year with demands to limit the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s monarchy and oust Prayuth, a former army chief who took power on 2014 after months of protests against the elected Yingluck government. Shinawatra.

After the calm due to coronavirus restrictions at the meetings, the demonstrations against Prayuth have picked up quite renewed in recent weeks.

“Protests have spread because of COVID-19 and its economic consequences,” Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the Ubon Ratchathani University’s political science faculty, told Reuters. “This caused a more diverse group of people to come together.”

Defending the government’s management of the pandemic, Anucha Burapachaisri, the prime minister’s deputy secretary, told Reuters that all necessary measures had been taken to contain the spread of the infections.

But a recent poll said less than 30% of people believed they could trust the Prayuth government, which rejects accusations from opponents that it manipulated a 2019 election to maintain the power it had taken by force.

“Everyone suffers from a lack of democracy, no matter how much their income changes,” Nat said.

“HISO”

Income is not an issue for Nat, a member of a Thai elite widely known as “HiSo” (High Society).

The son of a real estate billionaire, he was educated in a British private school and has enjoyed a playboy lifestyle with his supercars, celebrity dates and his own rock band.

He said he had now separated from his family while working in the stock market and cryptocurrencies.

His appearance at the protests is very different from that of youth activists, as he drives his Range Rover along with a bodyguard and a secretary.

“We were initially surprised, but we thought he who joined us was very helpful because he paved the way for others,” student activist Songpon “Yajai” Sonthirak told Reuters. “It shows how people can reform and how we are inclusive.”

Nat said his stint as a politician with the establishment’s pro-democracy Democratic Party had made him suspicious of all those who proclaimed loyalty to the monarchy.

He has joined the petitions to withdraw the lese majeste law banning criticism of the king, which could mean 15 years in prison and has been used against most youth protest leaders.

After losing his eye, Nat presents a black patch marked with three white dashes representing the greeting of the “Hunger Games” adopted by democracy advocates.

“We have to do everything we can, everything we need,” he told Reuters. “If it will cost me another eye, so be it.”

Additional reports of Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Alex Richardson

Our standards: the principles of trust of Thomson Reuters.