Hundreds of metal fans thrilled in Bangkok to the sound of electric guitars and drums from Thai band Defying Decay, whose latest track is a reference to the crime of lèse-majesté, an affront severely punished in the kingdom.
Read also Demonstrations in Thailand: new indictments for “lèse-majesté”
One of the most played rock songs on US radio last November, The Law 112: Secrecy and Renegades
is a provocative anthem against Thailand's political taboos.
On Saturday night, the band performed it for the first time on Thai soil.
Their style of alternative music being still marginal in Thailand, the seven members of the group perform mainly abroad.
The number 112 refers to the section of the penal code which punishes up to 15 years in prison any criticism of the king or his family.
Cautious, Defying Decay avoids in his lyrics to attack a person or an institution by name.
"I like that the lyrics are open to interpretation and that each one has its own meaning... when I write my songs
," singer and lyricist Poom Euarchukiati told AFP.
If the title clearly refers to this law, the lyrics of the song actually address other themes, critical but more consensual, such as corruption.
A generational divide
The pro-democracy protests that rocked Bangkok in 2020 highlighted a generational divide in Thailand between young people who yearn for change and older, more conservative ones.
Read alsoThailand: twelve pro-democracy leaders summoned by the police for lèse-majesté
Defying Decay aren't the first Thai band to use their music to challenge power.
Three years ago, a very popular hip-hop group, Rap Against Dictatorship, made headlines in the country with a title chronicling a series of corruption cases.
The video clip hints at a dark page in Thailand, when dozens of students were massacred or hanged in 1976 after a protest.
At its height, in the second half of 2020, the protest movement demanding royal reform and the resignation of the prime minister drew tens of thousands to the streets of Bangkok.
But the movement faltered as coronavirus restrictions prevented rallies and its main leaders were arrested.
Read alsoBangkok: police fire tear gas at pro-democracy protesters
Since November 2020, 170 people have been charged under the Royal Insults Act, according to the organization Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Activist Parit Chiwarak, in his twenties and known by the nickname
Penguin
, faces 23 charges and has been in pre-trial detention since last August.
At a UN human rights meeting last year, the Thai government official defended the lèse-majesté legislation, saying it
“reflects the culture and history of Thailand. , where the monarchy is one of the main pillars of the nation”
.
Ensuring fair trials
The law needs to be
“updated”
to be compatible with the modern world and avoid
“abuse
,” Poom Euarchukiati said.
A
“clear standard”
of wrongdoing under lèse-majesté law should also be established to ensure fair trials, Defying Decay lead guitarist Chitipat Wanyasurakul told AFP.
But the change could take time.
“People who listen to (rebel) music are mostly teenagers and young workers.
Society is not just made up of this group of people,”
Chawanut Rattanaphun, 29, a spectator at the concert, told AFP.
