OMU News
Jun 13, 2023
Graduate School of Law holds lecture on Thai Politics in the 21st Century
On May 31, 2023, Viengrat Nethipho, Associate Professor of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, delivered a lecture titled “Thai Politics in the 21st Century: The Road to Polarization and Democratic Decay” at the OMU Graduate School of Law, where she is currently a visiting professor. Also in attendance was Professor Fumio Nagai from the Graduate School of Law.
Professor Nethipho began by going over the evolution of Thai politics, from the 1932 democratic revolution to today. She highlighted the roles that social media and youth have played since 2020, when there were student-led protests against the government, until the recent political campaigns leading up to the May 14, 2023 election. Thai youth have introduced new ways to campaign for democracy, e.g. using TikTok and Japanese anime. The Move Forward Party (MFP), which won the majority vote, signifies a new hope for the country.
Associate Professor Viengrat Nethipho enlightening students on Thai politics
Despite the hope MFP represents for the Thai people, there are still uncertainties in the process of forming a new government due to the constitutional conditions set in place. Professor Nethipho detailed how the monarchy and military have contributed to democratic setbacks such as numerous coup d’états over the years. Regardless, hope remains as Thailand has experienced democracy before and the country could experience it again now, because most voters are in favor of democracy and the monarchy has weakened under King Rama X.
Professor Fumio Nagai
Viengrat Nethipho, Associate Professor of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University
Present for the lecture were both undergraduate and graduate students. Maurice Yip, a JSPS research fellow, had the following to say: “I learnt a lot from Professor Nethipho's illuminating lecture. She presented an informed narrative of Thailand's political history over the past century. This helped me to better understand the recent events and election results in Thailand.”
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