[Gallery] Students place "R.I.P Democracy" wreath in anti-government protest

On 24 February, Students at the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University gathered in front of the faculty building around a wreath with a sign saying "RIP Democracy," and wrote messages to the government, such as "respect our vote" and "I was betrayed by the system."

Students gathering around the wreath, which was placed in front of the Faculty of Arts building

The "R.I.P Democracy" wreath surrounded by pieces of paper on which students write messages to the government. The paper in front of the wreath said "I was betrayed by the system" and "Dissolve any party and we still won't vote for you."

The title of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time (À la recherche du temps perdu) becomes In Search of Lost Future (À la recherche du futur perdu), and written beside messages in French, Chinese, and English. The text in Thai said "You can dissolve parties but not our ideals."

A quote from the Mockingjay film is written alongside messages in Hindi, Arabic, and Spanish, and a message in Thai saying "Democracy shall win!"

Students writing on the pieces of paper placed around the wreath, quoting from literature and writing in the foreign languages they study. 

"Long live liberty!"

One of the paper scattered around the wreath said "democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people." 

The message in Thai in the middle of the paper said "we want democracy back!" while a quote from Virginia Woolf's feminist text A Room of One's Own appears above it. The Spanish text said "Only false democracy exists in this country." 

"Respect our votes," a student wrote, while another wrote a code in Python below it. 

This event is one of similar events happening in universities around the country in which students demonstrate against the government following the dissolution of the Future Forward Party on Friday (21 February). Two other demonstrations also took place on the same day in the evening at the plaza next to the Chulalongkorn University Auditorium and at Kasetsart University. 

Since 2007, Prachatai English has been covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite the risk and pressure from the law and the authorities. However, with only 2 full-time reporters and increasing annual operating costs, keeping our work going is a challenge. Your support will ensure we stay a professional media source and be able to expand our team to meet the challenges and deliver timely and in-depth reporting.

• Simple steps to support Prachatai English

1. Bank transfer to account “โครงการหนังสือพิมพ์อินเทอร์เน็ต ประชาไท” or “Prachatai Online Newspaper” 091-0-21689-4, Krungthai Bank

2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”