For months, thousands of young Thais took to the streets to protest Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in a 2014 coup.
More remarkably, they were criticizing King Vajiralongkorn, who is protected from insult by a strict lese majeste law reut.rs/3ap84Gg 1/
More remarkably, they were criticizing King Vajiralongkorn, who is protected from insult by a strict lese majeste law reut.rs/3ap84Gg 1/
Meet the young leaders risking criminal prosecution and tearing up societal rules centered on devotion to its monarch reut.rs/3ap84Gg 2/
Songphon 'Yajai' Sonthirak is a boxer who knows how to face down a stronger opponent. He was shocked to discover, on the day of his arrest, how little his training mattered and how fear seized him. 3/ 
Many student protesters use the Thai phrase taa sawang – 'eyes brightened' – to describe their political awakening.
Patsaravalee ‘Mind’ Tanakitvibulpon's eyes brightened in 2015, on the anniversary of Prayuth’s coup, after seeing a video of protesters dragged away by police. 4/
Patsaravalee ‘Mind’ Tanakitvibulpon's eyes brightened in 2015, on the anniversary of Prayuth’s coup, after seeing a video of protesters dragged away by police. 4/
“I was shocked and thought, ‘Why can’t we talk about the coup? What kind of democracy is this?’” said Mind.
“That was it. That was the beginning.” 5/
“That was it. That was the beginning.” 5/
Seventeen of the 20 protesters arrested with Yajai shared his cell.
@specialreports interviewed several of them, including Jatupat ‘Pai’ Boonpattararaksa. He’d been in jail before and helped his friends prepare their beds, cracked jokes and urged them to eat and exercise. 6/
@specialreports interviewed several of them, including Jatupat ‘Pai’ Boonpattararaksa. He’d been in jail before and helped his friends prepare their beds, cracked jokes and urged them to eat and exercise. 6/
The reverence of the monarchy runs deep in Kaen's family.
She once marched with her mother in pro-royalist demonstrations, and her grandmother had been fostered by an aristocratic family and grew up inside the grounds of a royal palace in Bangkok. 7/
She once marched with her mother in pro-royalist demonstrations, and her grandmother had been fostered by an aristocratic family and grew up inside the grounds of a royal palace in Bangkok. 7/
The turning point for Kaen came in 2016 with the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. His son rules differently.
Kaen started attending protests. Her family knew this.
‘My aunt said if I was to hold up three fingers, I might lose them,’ she recalled. 8/
Kaen started attending protests. Her family knew this.
‘My aunt said if I was to hold up three fingers, I might lose them,’ she recalled. 8/
Yajai, Mind, Pai and Kaen continue to hope. Speaking in early December, they said their movement continued to grow. They believe the change they helped set in motion is seismic.
Read the full report on the last taboo reut.rs/3ap84Gg ✍️ @panuw @kayatrtrz 📷 @jgesilva 9/
Read the full report on the last taboo reut.rs/3ap84Gg ✍️ @panuw @kayatrtrz 📷 @jgesilva 9/
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