The past six months in Thailand have been chaotic to say the least. At first, the judicial branch of government overthrew its political leaders and democratically elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. During this transition the opposition group led by Suthep Thaugsuban created the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) to temporarily control the country until new elections could be held. Unsurprisingly enough, this coalition did not last for long, as the country’s military ordered a coup d’état. Today Thailand is under strict rule and martial laws are being enforced daily. This is where it gets interesting.

Under the order of General Prayuth Chan-ocha, commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, any opposition to the coup d’état is punishable by law. With orders to break up any gathering of more than five people, the military has had its hands full with the task of detaining all opposition groups. Realizing that the military is on a mission to silence anyone who challenges them, the people have assembled in small groups and quietly expressed their political beliefs. Small acts of defiance like putting up three fingers or passing out sandwiches to supporters has even been prohibited by the military.

In the video above, you will see anti-military activists simply walking through a mall to assemble a resistance and then undercover military forces detaining them. In the past month, hundreds of anti-military activists have disappeared, as undercover military forces take them to undisclosed locations. Posing as security guards to disguise their military status, the militants grab any opposition activists they see and detain them immediately, never to be seen or heard from again. Meanwhile the military government has placed curfews, limited social media usage, taken full control of the judiciary, taken full control of the media and imposed martial law.

It is unclear whether or not the military intends on simply restoring order and then establishing elections, or if they plan on remaining in power. Hundreds of former politicians await their fate in prison as the military has accused and sentenced most of the former leaders to jail. The video that I posted above is one of five installments from Vice News. For more episodes you could visit their YouTube page and check out the other dispatches. I would love to hear from anyone who is from Thailand about the situation that is going on. Are you pro or anti military and why? If you know anything about the conflict that we should know please leave a comment. Thanks for stopping by!