Professor Thongchai gave the first- and second-year English department students a lecture on the theme of Past and Present Youth Social Movements in Thailand. He spoke about the turbulent history of Thailand under an oppressive military dictatorship, focusing on student movements for democracy between 1973 and 1976. He showed photo slides on the protest rallies that were attended by many young people, including the 17-year-old professor, to explain firsthand about the movements. He also touched upon repetitive changes that national politics have since undergone and the fact that restrictions on speech, hairstyle, etc., have become stricter at school over the past decade. Shifting his focus to student movements that have become active since 2020, he talked about the current state of affairs where many of the demonstrators are actually high school students, among whom, female students are particularly increasing.

In the second half of his lecture, Professor Thongchai initiated a discussion with the audience by asking them to think about why the movements had started recently and why they had attracted younger participants more than ever before. When a student stated, “The development of social media has enabled young people to access information and exchange opinions with one another,” the Thai professor praised this statement, saying that some historians had similar views. The audience presented various views, exploring “why” from diverse perspectives.

At the end of the event, the student representative expressed their gratitude and impressions to Professor Thongchai and presented him with a bouquet of flower amid warm applause. With his friendly smile and enthusiastic speech, Professor Thongchai has a captivating charm. His lecture provided the students with a valuable opportunity to increase their personal interest in international political issues and broaden their perspectives.