The Indic Perspective of the Pro-democracy Agitation (2020) in Thailand

Authors

  • Pulind Samant Centre for International Studies (Mumbai), affiliated to University of Mumbai

Keywords:

Thailand, Agitation, Indic, Civilisation, Monarchy

Abstract

The current agitation in Thailand can be interpreted differently in India than it may be viewed by the world. The reason is the attack on the Thai monarchy launched by the agitators in the midst of their demands. The Thai monarchy is not only the strongest pillar of the Thai identity, but also the symbol of its Indic civilisational roots, through institutionalization of the title Rama. There is a long history of attack on the institution of monarchy elsewhere in the South East Asia region, where a pattern of fall of royalty followed by subsequent weakening of the state can be observed. From the region, Thailand can be considered as culturally closest to India. Even from the geo-strategic angle, it is an important player for India in its extended neighborhood. India is therefore right in feeling concerned about the said agitation and the future course it might take.

Author Biography

Pulind Samant, Centre for International Studies (Mumbai), affiliated to University of Mumbai

I have had a corporate career of 27 years as a Human Resource Management professional, in Indian as well as multinational companies, till 2017. Thereafter I started research in the subject of International Relations, pertaining especially to the South East asia region. I registered myself in the 'Centre for International Studies' c/o VPM (Mumbai) for the purpose of Ph.D. research, which is an affiliated centre of the University of Mumbai, in 2018, and subsequently submitted my research proposal in 2019, which is pending approval of the university.

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Published

2021-11-03

How to Cite

Samant, Pulind. 2021. “The Indic Perspective of the Pro-Democracy Agitation (2020) in Thailand”. ASIAN REVIEW 34 (1). https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/arv/article/view/244869.

Issue

Vol. 34 No. 1 (2021): January - June 2021

Section

Research Articles

License

Published articles are under the copyright of the Instiute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University. Partially or totally publication of an article elsewhere is possible only after the consent from the editors.