Issue and Opponet: After the coup in May 2014, the military junta banned public demonstrations against the authorities and political meetings. Likewise, social networks were controlled by military power, limiting anti-coup publications. The military regime that took power after the coup is regarded as one of the toughest regimes in Thailand’s history. In order to meet without being arrested, a group of students from Bangkok’s Thammasat University took the initiative to protest the military coup through a picnic rally. However, the students found that the park next to their campus had been closed off by authorities to prevent protest meetings from occurring.
Dilemma Action: Through social networks, students organized a sandwich distribution down one of the streets near the school’s campus. One of the protestors yelled out “Sandwiches for Democracy!” as they paraded down the street. The anti-coup activists gathered to eat the sandwiches in public places while reading George Orwell’s book “1984,” which has also been banned in Thailand.
Outcome: Most of the protesters were arrested and imprisoned without trial. They were also forced to sign an agreement indicating that they would no longer criticize the military government. Despite this, social networks remained public, except for a brief period in which Facebook was shut down.