Five Years On: Royal Power and Reform in Thailand after the 2020 Youth Protests
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
- Venue
- Russell Square: College Buildings
- Room
- RG01
- Event type
- Seminar
About this event
This talk examines how Thailand's monarchy has developed since the 2020 youth-led protests, tracing a shift from informal influence towards a more formal, legally codified institutional position, which the speaker calls "overt power codification."
It covers the restructuring of Crown Property Bureau assets, the role of the Senate and Constitutional Court, the monarchy's symbolic presentation, and the use of Article 112, Thailand's lèse-majesté law. Drawing on his work with 112WATCH, the speaker also discusses international efforts to bring Article 112 into line with human rights standards, and what these changes mean for democratic reform and freedom of expression in Thailand.
Organisers
This event is jointly organised by the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies and the Department of History, SOAS.
Header image: The protests on August 16, 2020 organized under the Free Youth umbrella (Thai: เยาวชนปลดแอก; RTGS: yaowachon plot aek) at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok. Wikimedia Commons
About the speaker
Pavin Chachavalpongpun
Pavin Chachavalpongpun is Professor at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, and currently a Research Associate at SOAS University of London. He is Chief Editor of the online journal Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, whose articles are translated from English into Japanese, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino, Vietnamese, Burmese, and Khmer. He is also the founder of 112WATCH, an advocacy coalition dedicated to addressing the use of Article 112, Thailand’s lèse-majesté law. 112WATCH works to raise international awareness of the law’s impact on human rights and freedom of expression, build networks with international human rights organisations and diplomatic communities, and promote legal reform in line with international human rights standards. Pavin earned his PhD from SOAS). He is the author and editor of several books, including the forthcoming "Kings in the American Mirror: Two Centuries of U.S.-Thai Monarchy Relations" (University of Hawai‘i Press).
