News analysis

New disaffected generation poses challenge to Thai govt

Protesters brush off threats of arrest to push for monarchy reform and other demands

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Some "red shirt" supporters turned up at Thailand's biggest anti-government protest in years over the weekend, but it was clear they were just a sideshow.

Rappers pranced on stage while others projected trending hashtags onto the concrete columns of Bangkok's Democracy Monument. Protest leaders marched to a police station after the rally, daring the authorities to arrest them.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 18, 2020, with the headline New disaffected generation poses challenge to Thai govt. Subscribe