Thai students protest against country's military junta on the seventh day

Thai students protest against country's military junta on the seventh day

Thai students joined the seventh-day nationwide protests at universities on Thursday night (February 27) against the country's military junta following the banning of a major opposition party.

The youngsters gathered on the campus of the Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna in Chiang Mai where they chanted pro-democracy slogans and lit up their mobile phones.

The demonstrations have so far only taken place in the 'safe spaces' of university grounds but should they spill out into public roads, it could be a test of the military government's tolerance of political activism.

They banned protests when they took power through a military coup in 2014 and have introduced strict laws that silence criticism.

The rallies started last Friday (February 21) when a court dissolved the popular Future Forward party, a move that ignited the growing frustration at the way the country is governed.

The party, lead by businessman Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, had strong support from the country's young for its progressive, liberal policies and posed a threat to the country's status quo after coming third in recent elections with more than 60 seats.

Protests have taken place at universities around the country but the unrest has been limited to young people, who are keen to see more transparency and greater levels of democracy.