Discontented and resentful. Frustrated and angry. Students from at least 30 universities and schools across the country have taken part in rallies in the past week to protest what they describe as injustice and the disenfranchisement of their political rights amid dysfunctional democracy and the "broken" rule of law.
Uncoordinated but simultaneous, these student rallies are a rare development in the wake of the 2014 military coup. The state must not be permitted to suppress this peaceful dissent. What the students are doing is exercising their right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution.
The movement was triggered by the Constitutional Court's ruling last Friday that dissolved the popular opposition Future Forward Party (FFP) over a loan it took from its leader, and banned its 16 executives from politics for 10 years. The FFP had gained popularity among young voters.
The ruling sparked concern from many quarters, including a group of 36 law lecturers at Thammasat University, the Student Union of Thailand, and student unions of at least five universities -- each of which issued a separate statement expressing their disagreement with the court's interpretation of the law.
Even before the FFP's dissolution, young people were harbouring resentment against the former junta and the current government for their crackdown on activists and politicians, widespread suppression of freedom of expression, and their consolidation of power through embedded influence in checks-and-balances mechanisms.
The reaction to the student protest from junta leader-turned-Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is disturbing. Warning the students to "listen to both sides of the story", the premier not only demonstrated his bias against their movement but also his disrespect for their judgement. And by advising them to consider their futures while reminding them that protesters had been taken to court in the past for "breaking the law", Gen Prayut made a thinly veiled legal threat against their gathering. This is a wrong and dangerous message to send.
Unfortunately, it seems to have been received by authorities.
The police in particular have warned students to act within the bounds of the law and comply with the public assembly act that requires rally organisers to give them 24 hours' notice for events held in public areas.
But the police must be aware that gatherings on campuses are among the exemptions granted by the act. In a disturbing development, a number of police officers have been dispatched to "observe" and even intervene at peaceful rallies since Friday.
Equally worrying is the reaction of the management of schools and universities who have forbidden students from holding peaceful demonstrations on campus. This has forced them to use public places for their rallies.
It remains to be seen whether the ongoing protests will gain momentum in the long run and whether the students can pressure the government with specific demands. This will partly depend on whether and how they coordinate across different campuses.
What is certain is they have made it clear they will no longer tolerate being disenfranchised politically and are now insisting on having their say in the country's political system and rule of law.
Some of them have said they are not rallying to save Future Forward, but to save their own futures. It is time that the powers-that-be listened to them.
Let them speak out and shape their future.