Asia
Milli causes a stir with criticism of Thai government
The rapper has already been released after pleading guilty & paying a fine
COVID-19 is well into its second year of damage, and while some nations are ramping vaccinations and loosening restrictions, Thailand seems to be going backward. Another imposition of lockdowns, curfews, and travel restrictions have done little to quell the most recent outbreak, with new daily infection rates surging from 2,290 on June 11 to 14,575 on July 23.
At the center of this debacle are General Prayut Chan-o-cha and his junta government who have recently been catching a lot of flak for their limited and thus far ineffective vaccine rollout. In Thailand, it's rare to see celebrities directly calling out the government, but the past week has seen a number of them airing their grievances publicly including Da Boy Way of Thaitanium and 18-year old rapper Milli.
These complaints have been met with the typical government position of requesting the people to 'trust us' and warning any protesters about their attacks on the government. Yesterday, Sonthiya Sawadee, advisor to the parliament committee on law, justice, and human rights, filed 20 police complaints against celebrities including Milli, who was the first to be charged.
When Milli received the news of her police summons, the 18-year old rapper posted a photo of herself and captioned it "เอารูปนี้ค่ะ สวย" [use this photo, pretty”]. The government attempts to silence critics completely backfired, with the hashtag #SaveMilli trending number one in Thailand's Twitter world.
The rapper was forced to pay a THB2000 fine after pleading guilty to the charges. Following her release, Milli again took to social media to speak to her fans. "Thank you for all the encouragement that came today and from every channel. I’m acknowledging the positive energy. Today, I regret not having a chance to talk. Anyway, after this I insist on continuing with what I have always done. Let us fight and fight. We won't give up!"
Check out Milli's latest video for 'Say It' featuring Jackie Trinity.