WORLD

Thailand’s junta leader warned citizens not to cause trouble, not to criticize, not to protest—or else face a return to the “old days” of street violence. (Associated Press)

Use our resources to learn more about protests.

Discussion Ideas

• What is a junta? (Use our glossary to get an idea.) The United States has not had a military junta, but many nations have. What are some countries that have undergone juntas?
  • Chile: After the overthrow of democratically elected President Salvador Allende in 1973, the military established a junta that lasted, in one form or another, for almost 20 years.
  • Egypt: After Egyptian Revolution of 2011 forced President Hosni Mubarak from office, the military established a junta that lasted until the democratic election of President Mohamed Morsi. The junta leaders then helped oust Morsi and a junta leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is the leading presidential candidate.
  • Fiji: Fiji is the only nation besides Thailand to currently be governed by a military junta. In 2009, the Fijian president and junta suspended the constitution, and the junta leader, Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama, is the leading presidential candidate.

• Does the U.S. support juntas?
  • Sometimes, when they benefit U.S. interests.
    • The U.S. has joined almost all of the international community in condemning the Thai junta, with Secretary of State John Kerry saying he is “disappointed by the decision of the Thai military to suspend the constitution and take control of the government,” concerned about the crackdown on political opponents, and reviewing the status of U.S.-Thai relations. (A joint military operation—and a Taylor Swift concert!—have already been canceled.)
    • The U.S. generally supported the Egyptian junta that ousted democratically President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The U.S. also supported the junta by supplying it with F-16 fighter jets.

• According to the Associated Press article, Thai junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha warns against protests: “Do not criticize, do not create new problems. It’s no use.” Why do you think Prayuth is discouraging political protest? What are some successful and unsuccessful protests that have been opposed by the government? (Take a look at our collection for some help.)
  • Governments often oppose protests that may politically or economically hurt those in power.
  • The most famous protests of the 20th century are probably associated with the the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Although facing overwhelming odds (and local and state governments), the movement ultimately achieved some of the most effective civil rights legislation in the nation’s history: the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  • The 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests ended with breathtaking violence when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army invaded the large public square occupied by protesters in Beijing. The government has never made information about the event public, foreign journalists were expelled, and the extent of the death and imprisonment is unknown.