Young Thais reject old biases, support protesters in Myanmar

Despite arrests and crackdowns on peaceful protests, young people in Thailand continue to fight for democracy on the streets and online. This time, they’re not battling for themselves but for their friends in Myanmar. 

After learning about the military coup d’état in Myanmar on February 1, Thai youth have shown their support for anti-coup protesters by organizing and joining a series of protests in Bangkok and other provinces. They’ve sent messages of solidarity on social media and welcomed Myanmar to the “Milk Tea Alliance,” a transnational Asian pro-democracy movement, denouncing the military junta. 

But this has not always been the case. For generations, many Thais regarded Myanmar as an enemy or adversary.

Growing up in Chonburi province, I remember learning about the Burmese-Siamese war and the fall of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1767. In social-studies class, Burma, or Myanmar as it is now known, was described as a “city destroyer.”

During the spread of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, racist and anti-migrant comments hit hard on social media, resurrecting this history.