At a recent showing of the James Bond film No Time to Die at a central Bangkok theatre, nearly half of about 60 people sat down through the royal anthem without incident – a scene unthinkable just a few years ago, when moviegoers faced risks if they didn’t stand. In 2019, a woman said she was assaulted for not standing up, while last year another man was splashed with a drink for sitting through the 90-second song in the eastern province of Chanthaburi.
“Things are changing,” said Chotisak Onsoong, a political activist who had popcorn and a water bottle thrown at him in 2007 when he sat for the anthem. He was later kicked out of the theatre and charged with insulting the royal family, although prosecutors eventually declined to pursue the case. He still refuses to stand and has noticed more people joining him in recent months.
“Protesting and not standing up for the anthem are really the same thing,” Chotisak said.
Royalist groups have noticed the trend as well. On October 29, a pro-monarchy Facebook group called “Good Students” posted a graphic of one person standing in a cinema before the start of the royal anthem with the caption: “Even if I’m the only one left standing, I’ll continue to stand up.”
Thia King Maha Vajiralongkorn
The shift highlights changing attitudes toward the monarchy following more than 15 months of protests – including one of the largest in months on October 31 – calling for Thailand’s most powerful institution to have less taxpayer money and more accountability. While the royalist government hasn’t budged on any of their demands, which broke longstanding taboos in Thailand, political parties that had long avoided issues surrounding the monarchy are now starting to speak up ahead of an election that could come in early 2022.
Pheu Thai, the largest party in parliament and winner of the most seats in every Thai election since 2001, last week joined fellow pro-democracy organisation Move Forward in calling for changes to Thailand’s lese majeste law, which mandates as many as 15 years in jail for insulting Vajiralongkorn and other top royals.
In a sign of the sensitivity, Pheu Thai later clarified that it wouldn’t spearhead the amendment, but would facilitate the discussions in parliament. Since mid-2020 at least 100 people were charged under the law, with the majority of cases stemming from online political comments and participation in the protests.
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