In the midst of a contentious and idiosyncratic
election season in the U.S., it can be easy to forget what a privilege it is to
live in a Western democracy where rule of law reigns supreme. The talk of
Trump’s dictatorial qualities can cloud how a real dictatorship functions. Sad
case in point: Thailand’s referendum on a new constitution which will take place
this Sunday.
To lawyers especially, a constitutional referendum
sounds so democratic, but Thailand is a land of many coups, including the one
in 2014 that brought the current military junta into power. And this referendum
is still technically a vote of the people (most of whom do not support the
military government). But, they are forbidden by law to engage in spirited
debate, and can face criminal charges for so much as a misplaced “like” on
Facebook.
Verapat Pariyawong is a Thai lawyer, a
political commentator and currently a visiting scholar at the SOAS School of
Law, University of London. He has spoken out against the referendum and the
current military government, and he agreed to join me today (and this weekend)
on ATL to share his country’s story. I don’t usually ask this from my readers,
but please share this story.
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