For king and country the thai yellow shirts movement as a struggle for class recognition 1

“For King and Country”?: The Thai Yellow Shirts Movement and the Quest for Class Recognition Submitted by: Allan Lee B.Soc.Sci Hons, National University of Singapore A THESIS SUBMIT

“For King and Country”?:

The Thai Yellow Shirts Movement and

the Quest for Class Recognition

Submitted by:

Allan Lee

B.Soc.Sci (Hons), National University of Singapore

A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

(SOCIOLOGY)

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

2011


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Acknowledgements

It is customary for one to acknowledge the people who have contributed in one way

or another towards the writing of oneʼs thesis I do not think it is simply a ʻcustomʼ Instead, it is an expression of the deep gratitude one has for the people who have been so supportive and encouraging along the way Please pardon my indulgence…

I thank God for opening the door to me being in the Masters programme To others, it maybe ʻpolitical opportunity structureʼ, but to me, it was in Your hands; Jesus, my best friend, for sustaining me through the long and arduous process of completing this thesis It was not easy, but Your faithfulness and grace has been more than enough for me

This thesis would not be possible without the help of the following people who have dedicated much time and effort to reading my drafts and, more importantly, my intellectual development:

A/P Eric Thompson and A/P Anne Raffin, for supervising my progress, reading endless drafts of my writing and your valuable criticisms Thank you for encouragement and support along the way

Prof Vedi Hadiz, for showing me how much I do not know and for developing in me the interest for political sociology and social movements Too bad you couldnʼt corrupt me before you left

Dr Kurtulus Gemici and A/P Bruce Lockhart, for taking time to discuss my ideas and contributing to my work even though you didnʼt have to at all

A/P Ganapathy, your passion for teaching and the students has been my inspiration

as a TA Above all, thank you for writing the letter of recommendation in my application for Masters I owe you too much Thanks also to A/P Lian Kwen Fee for

introducing us to excellent makan places

Dr Kelvin Low, for the random chats along the corridor and your thoughts on the life

of an academic Hope your couch will be well utilized

Christopher N Selvaraj, thanks for all the tea time conversations and being ever willing to share the things youʼve been reading The framework for this thesis would not have been possible without your suggestion

And other professors along the way that I may not have mentioned, you have all been significant in my intellectual growth all these years

To my cohort mates: Chris, Fadzli, Ryan, Lynette, Dean, Victoria, Hafizah, Wayne and Hai Ha, it was a wonderful journey Thanks for all the times of fun, laughter, peace and joy You guys have been wonderful people to hang out with Thank you all for being so willing to share and for brightening up my days during our ʻteaʼ To Oliver, Mark and the rest of the sOCi, thanks for your friendship, you guys are the ones who help me stay in touch with the ʻreal worldʼ

To the other graduate students in the Sociology Department, Arnab, Lionel, Bubbles, Alvin, Hu Shu, etc, my sincerest apologies for not being able to name all of you but

each and every one of you have made the last two years a lot more enjoyable and bearable with the food, fun and laughter weʼve shared

To the VCF postgraduate group and Mon CG, your prayers and fellowship have been greatly appreciated Also to my small group and friends in LWMC: Paul & Elsa, for leading BS so faithfully, ensuring that I get my spiritual feeding; Rebecca, Vincent and Hannes for always checking on my progress, holding me accountable for my work and those meals at your home; Des and gang for the various ʻTYMCʼ sessions that help feed this poor (and hungry) graduate student

To Kien Ann, Kid and May: thanks for serving the Lord and for your company in Thailand My time in the field would not have been as smooth sailing and enjoyable without your fellowship and support To Evan, thanks for translating and transcribing

my interviews I pray that God will continue to guide all of you in your ministry there

To my Primers, you guys better grow up well

Lastly, this thesis is specially dedicated to my family, who have stood by my side and provided me with such loving encouragement and support: Papa, for always checking on my health and financial status; Mama, for the breakfasts in the mornings and helping me run small errands when you can; Mahmah, for the nutrition and love that goes into your meals; my Uncles and Aunties for being so supportive and loving; Edward, your wedding have allowed me to take an ʻenforcedʼ break along the way, allowing me to work harder when I came back; Anthony, for showing and reminding

me how to walk with Christ In loving memory of Ah Mah, who would have been proud to see me graduate and produce this piece of work


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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - The Yellow Shirts Movement of Thailand 1

1.2 Relevance to contemporary works 2 1.3 Statement of Problem and Thesis Statement 4 1.4 Contribution to knowledge 8

Chapter 2 - Social Closure and Social Movements (in Thailand) 16

2.2 Surveying the Literature: Social Movements in Thailand 18

2.4 Class and Social Movements – Insights from Marx, Weber and Parkin 24 2.4.1 Marx – Class, Revolution and Social Movements 25 2.4.2 Weber – Class, Interest, Status Groups and Social Closure 26 2.4.3 Parkin – “Social Closure as Exclusion and Usurpation” 28 2.5 Social Closure and the People Alliance for Democracy 29 2.6 Social Movement Theories: Tools of Analysis 30 2.6.1 Resource Mobilization Theory 30 2.6.2 Political Opportunity 31 2.6.3 Grievances, Relative Deprivation Theory and Emotions 32

2.7 Conclusion: A Case of Social Closure 33

Chapter 3 – Social Closure in Thailandʼs 35

3.2 Thailandʼs Political History 36 3.2.1 1930s – 1950s: Fall of the Absolute Monarchy and the

3.2.2 1960s – 1971: The Rise of the Business group

and the Democratization of Thailand 40 3.2.3 The 1970s: Political Contestations 43 3.2.4 The 1980s: ʻDemocracyʼ under the Military 46 3.2.5 1990s: The shift towards civilian governments and

the 1997 Economic Crisis 49 3.2.6 Rise of Thaksin and the Thai Rak Thai Party 54

3.3.1 Protests and the Ousting of Thaksin 58

3.3.2 Protests against the People Power Party 61

3.3.3 Occupation of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports 62 3.4 Conclusion: Recognizing the Historical Antecedents 63 Chapter 4 – Uncovering the Motivations of Mobilization 65 4.1 Introduction 65 4.2 Incentives for Mobilization: Structural Change and Social Exclusion 66 4.2.1 Structural Change: Economic Depression and Dissent 66

4.2.2 Social Closure: Political, Economic and Social Exclusion 69 4.3 From Political Opportunity to Emotions 76 4.3.1 Emotions and Social Movements 77

4.3.2 Towards Mobilization: Hatred and Hope 78

4.4 Groups in the Middle Class: Interests and Emotions 88 4.5 Conclusion: From Closure to Emotions 93 Chapter 5 – Mechanisms of Mobilization 95 5.1 Introduction 95 5.2 Frame Alignment and Mobilization 97

5.2.1 Framing Discourse: Mobilizing Fear and Hope 100

5.2.2 Colours, Identity and Boundary Work 107

5.2.3 Private Media: Information and Coordination 110

5.2.4 Mobilizing Discourse: Hope 112

5.2.5 Mobilizing Resources: Media 112

5.3 Conclusion: Inciting Emotions through Discourse 115

Chapter 6- Conclusion 116

References 120


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Abstract

Political conflict in Thailand is characterized by the frequent appearance of social movements In this vein, the series of confrontations between the Red shirts and the Yellow shirts must be seen as a contemporary manifestation of historically embedded struggles for power and recognition While extensive work has been done on the Red shirts movement, there is a significant dearth of work

on the Yellow-shirt movement Accordingly, this thesis aims to contribute to the literature on social movements in Thailand by providing a focused analysis of the Yellow shirts movement Next, scholarly work on Thai social movements has tended to frame the movement, too often, as a product of intra-elite struggle While accurate, these explanations are insufficient in accounting for the motivation behind the participantsʼ involvement Furthermore, in conceptualizing the movement as a ʻmiddle classʼ movement, we are caught in the process of reifying ʻclassʼ as a social category Thus, this thesis attempts to depart from the common conceptualization of the Yellow shirts as a ʻmiddle classʼ movement Conversely, it emphasizes an analytical framework centered around an understanding of “social closure” as the dynamic struggle between forces of exclusion and monopolization on the one hand and the forces of usurpation and opportunity hoarding on the other In addition, this thesis highlights the significance of emotions as both a motivation and resource for mobilization Drawing on a combination of qualitative methods of interviews as well as content and discourse analyses, this thesis argues that recent Yellow shirts movement is best understood as an attempt by various groups to counter and contest their gradual economic, political and social exclusion by the Thai state and elites

Figures and Diagrams

Table A: List of Key Respondents vii

Diagram 1.1: Classes in the Marxian perspective 6

Diagram 1.2: Society/social stratum as consisting of several status groups 7

Figure 1.1: Thailand: Real GDP Growth Rate (Annual %), 1980 to 2008 67


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Table A: List of Key Respondents

Note: Names of all respondents have been changed to preserve their identity

Case Respondent Age Gender Occupation Place of Residence

1 Pela 41 Male Rentier Bangkok

2 Pu 55 Male Restaurant Owner Khon Kaen

3 Ou 24 Female Graduate Bangkok

4 Sung 62 Female Principal of Private

School Khon Kaen

5 Tok 46 Male Small Business

Owner

Khon Kaen

6 Silpa 26 Male Hotelier Bangkok

7 Cewai 58 Male Teacher Khon Kaen

8 Nan 31 Female Real Estate Agent Bangkok

9 En 45 Male Businessman Bangkok

10 Pa 38 Female Medical Service

Personnel Bangkok

11 Plar 30 Female Executive Bangkok

12 Hiw 57 Male Trader Khon Kaen

13 Nen 28 Male Banker Bangkok

14 Ern 29 Female Investment Banker Bangkok

15 Pim 34 Male Fashion Designer Bangkok