By Invitation

Why Thailand's young are forcing a reckoning

Frustration boiling over into street protests comes at a time when safety buffers of the past are gone

New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

Thailand is caught up once again in the throes of street protests.

Unlike the colour-coded street demonstrations between conservative-royalist "yellow" shirts and their "red-clad" rivals aligned with ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra nearly 20 years ago, this time it is the country's young people - Gen Z and late millennials - who are driving this new wave of confrontation between the forces of conservatism and change.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 26, 2020, with the headline Why Thailand's young are forcing a reckoning. Subscribe