Thai University Students’ Civic Engagement on Campuses

During the 2020 pro-democracy protests, Thailand saw the rise of student activists and student-led groups like Free Youth (established 2019) and the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (established 2020). While student-led public rallies that attracted thousands of participants from diverse backgrounds have largely died down since 2021, the university students’ civic engagement has not. Amid attacks on freedom of expression in Thailand, such as the possible dissolution of the Move Forward Party for its previous platform of amending the lèse-majesté (royal defamation) law and Parliament’s rejection of a bill for the legalisation of gender recognition for gender-diverse people, university students have turned their campuses into spaces that are more welcoming and open to different political allegiances, activities, and expressions.

Many remain engaged in national politics through on-campus activities. Others have directed their attention towards turning their universities and communities into more inclusive places, in some ways continuing the progressive ideologies of the pro-democracy protests.

Though student groups no longer organise large public rallies, they remain involved through other forms of political participation while on their campuses. In 2023, students at Kasetsart, Burapha, Prince of Songkhla, and other campuses set up stalls to gather signatures for a “ConForAll” petition. This was a campaign to rewrite the Thai Constitution as drafted by a committee that is entirely elected. The petition was submitted in August 2023. The government has not responded to this petition but the campaign was a remarkable success from a public engagement standpoint. It received over 200,000 signatures in a matter of weeks and student clubs played an important role in this achievement. They collected and mailed signatures, allowing fellow students to easily support the cause without leaving their campuses.

In February 2024, students joined another petition to propose an amnesty bill for political activists and protestors facing prosecution. While there are many such proposals, the version supported by the university students is unique as it was citizen-led and includes seeking amnesty for royal defamation charges, which most other proposals from political parties exclude.

The above demonstrates that university students are now an important voice in Thai politics, not just as passive supporters of political parties but as active participants in community-driven movements. Their activities have caught the attention of Thai political conservatives, to the extent that in August 2023, a “university student council” bill was proposed by a citizen initiative and a Pheu Thai party member to allow state interference in student activities. In response, students at 21 universities fought back, issuing a joint statement criticising the bill and lobbying members of the opposition to vote against it. The bill has since been withdrawn.

Recent campus activities have demonstrated how students drew inspiration from and engaged with the ideology of the 2020 protests, translated it into tangible action, and have effected some real change in their communities.

Student groups’ civic engagement remains strong and can be interpreted as a continuation of the social shift in Thai society brought about by the 2020 protests. While the movement first began by opposing the regime of then prime minister Prayut Chan-ocha, it later grew to incorporate various social and economic causes, such as calling for the legalisation of sex work and dismantling the oligopoly in the Thai alcohol industry. Feminist and LGBTQIA+ rights groups emerged during these protests; they organised multiple rallies demanding gender and marriage equality, and the legal recognition of gender identities. The 2020 mobilisation did not only have the political goal of ending the junta-led government but was also a larger social movement.

Many university students have adopted progressive ideologies and are advancing them on their campuses. While it is beyond the scope of this piece to examine why and how campuses have become spaces for such political engagement, university-level politics in Thailand have existed since the 1970s; similar aspirations to change campus culture and traditions preceded 2020.  

Some campus activities are a continuation of the 2020 movement’s demands for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights and inclusivity. In the past few years at Thammasat University, which boasts a rich history of student activism and student-led women’s groups, feminist clubs have been founded at faculties including Law, Political Science, Liberal Arts, and Sociology and Anthropology. These clubs raise awareness by creating online infographics on women’s issues, organising talks and events, and starting a petition to demand an amendment to strengthen the university’s sexual harassment policy.

There has been a sharp increase in pro-LGBTQIA+ movements and events on campuses. In 2022 and 2023, student movements in Chiangmai University, Suan Dusit University, and the 38 campuses of Rachaphat Universities succeeded in their campaigns to allow transgender students to wear uniforms aligning with their gender identity on campus and during graduation ceremonies. Campus Pride celebrations have become more common. In June 2023, for instance, Naresuan University painted a rainbow on its crosswalk to signal inclusivity for all gender identities and sexual orientations. The student clubs and alumni associations of Chiangmai University worked with their university to host an event on “embracing equality and inclusion”.

Other student movements reflect the wider sentiments of the 2020 protests to challenge social inequalities. For instance, in 2021, Chulalongkorn University’s Student Union abolished the traditional Phra Kieo parade at its annual sporting event. “Phra Kieo”, meaning coronet, is the emblem of both King Chulalongkorn (r.1868-1910) and the university. Amidst alumni criticism and commentary that this action was “anti-monarchy”, the student union reasoned that the optics of the parade, with Phra Kieo elevated on a palanquin carried by 50 students, evoked themes of inequality and “authoritarianism” To the students, the cancellation of this 75-year-old tradition symbolised an important change, signifying that Chulalongkorn University’s community was becoming more “equal”. This echoes the ideology of the 2020 pro-democracy movement.

Though the 2020 student movement has not achieved many of its goals challenging the ruling establishment’s stronghold on Thai politics, it has succeeded somewhat in altering the Thai social landscape. Many young people now value not only their democratic participation but also aspire toward equality and inclusivity. Recent campus activities have demonstrated how students drew inspiration from and engaged with the ideology of the 2020 protests, translated it into tangible action, and have effected some real change in their communities. The current and future Thai governments will have to learn to handle more ideological and socially conscientious citizens when these young people become older adults with even louder voices in Thai society.

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