Movie Theaters Show Quiet Resistance to Thai Monarchy Is Growing
More Thais are choosing to sit during the royal anthem, a vivid display of how attitudes toward the monarchy are changing.
Pro-democracy protesters hold up a three-fingered salute in front of a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in Bangkok.
Photographer: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
Anyone who has been to a movie theater in Thailand knows the routine: Before the film starts, everyone is asked to stand during a royal anthem to pay respect to the monarch.
During the 70-year reign of former King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016, it was rare for anyone to sit during the song. And while many Thais still stand up, nowadays more and more people are opting to stay seated rather than pay respect to his son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose short time on the throne has seen unprecedented protests calling for reform of the monarchy.