Young Activists Empowered By Facebook

[Lite Beer]

Young activists empowered by Facebook
Tanpisit Lerdbamrungchai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Handmade posters, banners and leaflets are old, dated weapons for young social activists keen to communicate and raise concerns about issues of injustice. They have learnt that social media is a powerful channel to tell their stories and win public support for demands made to the government.

Hari Bantita, a 33-year-old Trang native who joined the P-Move demonstration protesting at Government House, said: "The media is a very influential tool to make other people believe what you say and can build understanding among members of the public. I believe that such communication can help change problems."

P-Move is the latest umbrella group of poor farmers and underprivileged people from rural areas and cities. They have a rally at Government House to ask the Yingluck administration to resolve problems of social injustice, including land issues.

In a bid to get other people to back their demands, Hari has used Facebook to share the story about land problems in local areas with friends and other people.

"There are thousands of people who read my reports which are posted via Facebook, including journalists and social workers. I always update any movement about the land problem in Khao Banthat Mountain," she said.

"I recently uploaded a video clip showing that national park officials were destroying the bridge in our village. Villagers had paid respect to them at their feet, but the officials did not stop.

"This clip was shared via social media thousands of times and many television stations visited our village to do reports on this issue."

After gaining a bachelor's degree from Yala Islamic University's Faculty of Humanity, Hari worked as a journalist for a local newspaper for a while but learnt that she could not manage a career in journalism. So she decided to become a social activist and work as a coordinator for the Khao Banthat Mountain Land Reform Network.

Another activist doing similar work is A-Icha Kaewnopparat, a 23-year-old leader of the Young Thai Displaced People, who has made a short film called "The Unwritable Pen". It is a powerful way to tell the story of real problems faced by displaced people living in Thailand. This short film was shown on national television - Thai PBS - after she spread the video via social media.

"When I was a child, my teacher always asked me 'Where is my house registration?' and I always told her that I forgot it, and she'd asked me 'Are you a Burmese?'

"My friends laughed at me after they heard that question. Finally I had to tell her the truth and I thought that I should tell other people about my story as a short film," she said.

A-Icha is yet to be registered as a Thai national. Her parents were displaced people in Ranong province. She is studying at a high school with the Non Formal and Informal Education Centre due to her lack of citizenship. She is due to graduate by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Kampin Aksorn, 37, a coordinator of mekong River Lovers Network, has raised awareness among the middle class via Facebook to tell stories about the mekong River and its problems.

"I know that they [middle class people] love seeing pictures and click 'Like' at the bottom on Facebook [images] then share them with their friends. This could help them understand about what really happens with the mekong River," she said.

-- The Nation 2013-05-12

[chainarong]

Social media is the best way to get information to the outside world, anything that happens in China, is within minuets, sent to Hong Kong, much to the dislike of the propaganda section of the PLA, this drives them nuts ,you can no longer hide behind a steel curtain, keep telling the world, because your government doesn't want the world to know.

[A Member]

Social media is the best way to get information to the outside world, anything that happens in China, is within minuets, sent to Hong Kong, much to the dislike of the propaganda section of the PLA, this drives them nuts ,you can no longer hide behind a steel curtain, keep telling the world, because your government doesn't want the world to know.

If the activists complain too much about the government and / or specific personalities I wonder if the ICT Minister will warn he will use his power of suspension. Now wouldn't that make a nice headline for the international media " Thai Government suspends Facebook over criticisms ' ?

[DRONGOH]

Social media is the best way to get information to the outside world, anything that happens in China, is within minuets, sent to Hong Kong, much to the dislike of the propaganda section of the PLA, this drives them nuts ,you can no longer hide behind a steel curtain, keep telling the world, because your government doesn't want the world to know.

No. Social media is the best way to get information FROM the outside world. With this in hand, the top dogs devise strategies to divide and conquer while the vermin listening to them is dancing in the streets.

[rakman]

The easiest way to maximize "social justice" is have the government take everything from everybody. Then the government can give only what is needed to the masses.

But then, only the government leaders get the perks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_five_regimes

The cycle will spin again and again.

[rotary]

Just one more reason that FarceBook should be shut down.

[baboon]

I wish these youngsters the best of luck. It is high time the old farts start to make room for the new generation who recognise the ideal Thai image they are forced to swallow does not exist and never did.