The revival of the student political movement in 2020

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study and analyze the factors that caused the revival and  characteristics of the student political movement in 2020. The researcher was found that factors contributing to the recovery included a political change in the attitude against the succession of the junta after the 2014 coup d’etat’s 1 year anniversary. It started from a group that joined together to do various activities, and was then widely expanded to educational institutions both in Bangkok and in many provinces. This occurred through the forwarding of ideas through social media as a channel to create a political space in order to exchange political opinions. The result was the alignment and gathering-together of various groups. The student political movement has become an alliance of movements in various regions, not just in Bangkok, and is centered around higher education institutions. Characteristics of the student political movement include the use of flash mob tactics, and an open leadership structure. This demonstrates that the political movement of students has been revitalized after many years of stagnation. This is consistent with the theory of political socialization that influences attitudes and values and the theory of informal political participation. This movement’s power is not yet as strong as it was during the events of October 14, 1973, in which 80-90 percent of students participated. The key issues are a call for a constitutional amendment and a reform of the monarchy. It has become a major political problem that the Thai state has to face. The ideas of newer generations in the digital age have been politically refined through online media to demonstrate the right to informally participate in politics. This will become a persistent problem resulting in social confrontation leading to serious conflicts if the Thai state continues to try to block political freedom, and has the potential to foreshadow the recession of Thailand’s political development.