Thai students joined the seventh-day nationwide protests at universities on Thursday night (February 27) against the country's military junta following the banning of a major opposition party.<br /><br />The youngsters gathered on the campus of the Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna in Chiang Mai where they chanted pro-democracy slogans and lit up their mobile phones.<br /><br />The demonstrations have so far only taken place in the 'safe spaces' of university grounds but should they spill out into public roads, it could be a test of the military government's tolerance of political activism. They banned protests when they took power through a military coup in 2014 and have introduced strict laws that silence criticism.<br /><br />The rallies started last Friday (February 21) when a court dissolved the popular Future Forward party, a move that ignited the growing frustration at the way the country is governed. <br /><br />The party, lead by businessman Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, had strong support from the country's young for its progressive, liberal policies and posed a threat to the country's status quo after coming third in recent elections with more than 60 seats.<br /><br />Protests have taken place at universities around the country but the unrest has been limited to young people, who are keen to see more transparency and greater levels of democracy.
