"My Eyes are Open but My Lips are Whispering”: Anti-Royalism in Thailand after the 2006 Coup D’état

• In Event: Exploring the History of Manners in Thailand

Abstract

Unlike previous challenges to the Thai monarchy, Redshirt politics of anti-royalism took in linguistic and symbolic forms which were circulated through every day interactions and commodities including protest shirts, printing products, DVDs, and social networks. The recent wave of "political awakening" and contestation against the royalist ideology among the so-called Redshirt protesters involved a long process of learning and reacting to series of events instead of being either ignited by one incident or provoked from above by movement leaders. Deeply embedded in the existing royalist ideology, Redshirt anti-royalism derived from direct experiences of contradiction, disappointment, and resentment as Thailand’s political conflicts intensified since the 2006 coup. The May 19, 2010 massacre resulted in the prevalent notion that the monarchy, particularly the king, no longer sacredly symbolized the unity of the nation but the enemy of the people. Frustration and anger was articulated through deeply emotional expressions of love and hatred. Due to the draconian lese majeste law, innovative webs of double meanings gradually and subtly evolved and shared among the Redshirts. There were also attempts to reinterpret the history of Thailand by emphasizing the struggles of both commoners and elitist groups against royalism and absolutism, in particular, the resurrection of the People Party’s 1932 Revolution. Both historical and contemporary folk heroes were admired as opposed to traditional elitist ones. Despite understanding and sharing these novel semiotic orders, ordinary Redshirts, artists, intellectuals, and movement leaders utilized different techniques and skills. At the participants' level, vulgarity, humor, and satire rather than academic language were employed to violate the monarchy’s divinity.

Author

• Khorapin Phuaphansawat, University of Massaschusetts Amherst