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Thai PM Prayuth faces growing pressure as former supporters embrace ‘change of heart’
- Tanat Thanakitamnuay was one of the most vocal supporters of the 2014 coup that propelled Prayuth to power but now he wants the PM to quit
- Thai politics has been reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic as well as the youth protest movement that has loosened the grip of old loyalties
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Even by the standards of Thailand’s unpredictable politics, it’s been a topsy-turvy ride for Tanat Thanakitamnuay. In 2014, he was a firebrand leading massive royalist demonstrations that led to the downfall of Thailand’s last genuinely civilian government.
Now, Tanat has re-emerged as a pro-democracy activist seeking to oust the general his movement helped install as prime minister.
As a result of his reversal, the 29-year-old has been cut off from his father’s company – Noble Development, one of Bangkok’s biggest builders of upmarket condos.
He has also been condemned as a hypocrite by some of his former political allies and written off by other critics as a self-promoter seeking redemption.
Tanat, however, claims his conversion is sincere and his only objective is to see Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha resign.
“I’m grateful that I am now joining the people in the fight for democracy again,” Tanat says, wearing a black T-shirt with three white marks that represent the three-fingered salute from The Hunger Games.
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