FORWARD
THINKER
THANATHORN
JUANGROONGRUANGKIT | 40
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit
knew that clawing back power
from Thailand’s ruling junta would
never be easy. In the end, his
Future Forward Party gained 17%
of votes in this year’s elections—
not bad for a party that is barely
a year old. But Thanathorn, the
billionaire scion of a car-parts
empire, succeeded in re-energizing
young Thais, who flocked to his
banner of ending the cycle of
coups and bloody street protests
that has dogged Thailand for more
than 80 years. Amid the mounting
challenge, the generals responded
with a flurry of legal charges, which
Thanathorn alleges were politically
motivated. He says he’s still focused
on building his movement within
the legislature, despite the court
battle. “The generals still rule;
the struggle continues,” he says.
“Democratization, demilitarization
and decentralization is our call.”
ÑCharlie Campbell72 Time November 25, 2019