Starting in February 2020, groups of Thai youths, students and political activists have launched a series of protests.

They are protesting against the government, that has been dominated by the army and the monarchy. 

A little backstory...

Thailand has a history of the military intervening in politics. The army has seized power 12 times since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. In 2014, the then-commander of the Royal Thai Army, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, seized power in a military coup. After delaying elections, they finally had one in 2019, where Prayut 'supposedly' won democratically (the election was seen to be rigged in many forms).

Protests initially started in February because the pro-democracy Future Forward Party (FFP) was forced to disband (courts said a loan/donation they got was illegal). Protests came to a halt for Covid-19, but started again in June when the Thai state was accused of the kidnapping of Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a pro-democracy activist which the government and police deny. Student protesters are also calling for reduced powers for King Maha Vajiralongkorn and creating a more symbolic monarchy system similar to Britain. Thailand has one of the most strictest strictest lese-majesty (offending the monarchy) laws in the world, anyone who goes against the monarchy can go to jail for up to 15 years.

As time and the protests goes on, we can only predict that the government will use harsh methods against protestors and the opposition. Already, on August 20, 2020, Thai police separately arrested nine activists, including lawyer Anon Nampa. They charged them with sedition and other offences, and jailed them (for sentences up to 7 years). 

According to Human Rights Watch and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, activists Baramee Chairat, Suwanna Tanlek and Korakot Saengyenphan have also been arrested, as has rapper Dechathorn Bamrungmuang, of the group Rap Against Dictatorship.

Human Rights Watch condemned the arrests and demand that "Thai authorities should immediately drop all charges and unconditionally release prominent pro-democracy activists arbitrarily detained for their role in peaceful protests"