Ukraine war: Thai royalists turn from King Maha Vajiralongkorn to defending Russia’s Putin as pro-democracy camp condemns bloodshed
- Royalists’ backing of Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine partly stems from a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ to the Thai pro-democracy movement’s censure, critics say
- But it also highlights the conspiratorial thinking of conservative groups who view US-led efforts with scepticism and see democracy as a threat to the monarchy
In recent weeks, the Facebook page of royalist group Thai Move Institute has been flooded with posts about the downside of sanctions imposed on Russia, and reports of questionable veracity – many from a website styling itself as “The Truth” – saying that Ukraine used fake news to “slander” Putin.
The group’s motto is “Thailand’s direction upon the royal footsteps”. It is part of a network of conservative voices allied to the military and royalist establishment led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Domestic divide
Critics say Thailand’s royalists came out in favour of Putin either as “knee-jerk reaction” to the opposition’s stance on the war, or a result of long-held resentments towards the US, which some Thais perceive as a threat to the country’s monarchy.
Thailand’s Permanent Mission to the UN said in a statement that the country was “deeply concerned with the escalation of conflicts and humanitarian crises in Ukraine” especially with the “alleged human rights atrocities against civilians, including in Bucha”. But it said suspending a state’s membership of a UN body was a decision that “cannot be taken lightly”, adding “we are of the view that any action taken should be impartial, transparent and comprehensive”.
Tyrell Haberkorn, a professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Thailand’s official statements on Russia, and its decision not to support the human rights council vote in particular, “indicate the international effects of rising authoritarianism domestically”.
Royalist support for Russia “seems to be a knee-jerk reaction in response to the condemnation of the invasion by the democracy movement”, she said. “Were the democracy movement to support Russia, then I suspect conservative royalists would support Ukraine.”
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Zachary Abuza, a professor specialising in Southeast Asian politics and security at the US’ National War College, said Putin had resonated with conservatives in Thailand, particularly his “authoritarian policies, defence of Russian nationalism and traditional values”.
“The Thai government and their ultraroyalist backers are geriatrics, completely out of touch with the values, mores, and interests of the younger Thai population,” he said. “They refuse to accept that Thai society has changed, they have a nostalgic, and cherry picked, view of Thai history and culture, similar to Putin.”
Conspiracies abound
In recent weeks former major general and medical doctor Rienthong Nanna, an ultraroyalist, has been posting pro-Russia messages on Facebook, including discussing the election wins last week of pro-Putin politicians Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, and Aleksandar Vučić, the populist Serbian president.
He is the founder of the Rubbish Collection Organisation, an online vigilante group that scours the internet for potential lèse-majesté cases and likens offenders to human garbage.
The post was liked more than 18,000 times.
China is not going to abandon Putin. That gives Prayuth political cover
Supporters of Move Forward, however, argue Thailand could burnish its international credentials by taking a stand against the killings in Bucha, where more than 300 people are thought to died. The pro-democracy camp has urged Prayuth’s government to issue a stronger condemnation of Russia.
Janjira Sombatpoonsiri, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and an assistant professor at Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Asian Studies, said establishment figures in Thailand were wary of US-led efforts to intervene in other countries’ affairs.
They were particularly sceptical about Washington’s “democracy promotion”, she said, as it “could threaten not only the elites’ status quo but Thai sovereignty”.
“This narrative has been amplified on the internet in the aftermath of [Thailand’s] 2014 military putsch,” Janjira said. “With the international community, particularly the US, pressuring the junta to reinstall democracy, conspiracy stories frame the pressure as part of a CIA scheme for regime change.”
“The storyline also links the US’ global democracy advocacy and funding for anti-coup groups with an effort to topple the junta, restore a Thaksin-led government, and reinforce Western hegemony in Southeast Asia,” she said.
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Abuza, from the National War College, said Bangkok had followed Beijing’s lead when it came to its official stance on the war.
“While China may look at the Russian military’s poor showing in the war with consternation, China is not going to abandon Putin. That gives Prayuth political cover,” Abuza said.
“The younger generation in Thailand sees the invasion for what it is, the extreme action of a dictator with unchecked political power who is running the country into the ground, gutting the rule of law, leaving it economically weaker and more isolated internationally.”
