The Coup and Crisis: The 2014 Military Coup D'Etat and the Redshirt Movement in Thailand

• In Event: 96. Divisive Politics of Southeast Asia

Abstract

Although military coups have become a rule rather than an exception for Thai polity- altogether 12 successful and 7 attempted coups since 1932, in certain ways, the latest military putsch invokes once again the political dictum that sovereign is still he who decides on the “state of exception.”. This paper examines the 2014 military coup and its repercussions on the Redshirt movement, Thailand’s largest pro-election and anti-coup movement. Based mainly on interviews with the Redshirt supporters who were subject to the military surveillance, intimidation, harassment and detention since late May 2014, the paper argues that the Prayuth-led junta has not merely used highly coercive techniques in suppressing the Redshirt dissidents, but also created one of the most repressive regimes Thailand has experienced. This paper also demonstrates that the military has used more nuanced and complex power techniques by (re)imposing the state ideology through the so-called “One Thai One Common Heart Program” in order to systematically and effectively controlling its opponents. Consequently, the mixture of these techniques have not only generated a state of fear, but also eroded a sense of trust and solidarity among the Redshirt supporters.

Author

• Khajornsak Sitthi, University of Leeds