A young political activist expelled from her school last week for violating its rules was able to attend classes unimpeded Monday morning.
Thanalop “Yok” Phanachai, 15, was seen walking into the Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakarn School wearing a nonstandard uniform. Female crowd-control officers and riot vehicles were seen at the school.
Last week, the school said Yok failed to re-register properly after being released from nearly two months in confinement for kicking her out after she dyed her hair and went out of uniform to protest restrictive dress codes.
Yok said that she registered on May 16, paid tuition, and attended classes for one month prior to her expulsion.
The school has not publicly commented on why it allowed her to return. The National Human Rights Commission declared Thursday that her registration should be deemed complete because a child’s basic right to education took precedence. It confirmed that it was coordinating with school administrators to let Yok return.
But the school reiterated its position Saturday that Yok did not follow its enrollment rules and said her information was not in its system. Its statement said she “has the right to pursue further education” somewhere else.
The school added that the incident led it to implement stricter security measures.
Yok told reporters this morning that clothing choices do not affect one’s ability to learn. Her refusal to participate in certain activities, she said, was based on her belief that they perpetuate authoritarianism.
“The part that I insist on demanding is the freedom of hairstyle and hair color is because our hairstyle and hair color are basic rights relating to our identity,” she told reporters. “Recently, there was a trending hashtag about a student who died after being pressured by a teacher regarding their hair. This case was not the first, and it won’t be the last if the Ministry of Education’s regulations and school rules continue to oppress students.”
ด่วน! ตำรวจนำชุดจับกุมพร้อมรถควบคุมผู้ต้องเข้าโรงเรียนเตรียมพัฒน์ เวลา 8:00 น. หลังหยกเดินทางเข้าไปเรียนในช่วงเช้าที่ผ่านมา #saveหยก
— Sirote Klampaiboon (@sirotek) June 19, 2023
ขอบคุณภาพจาก Friends Talk pic.twitter.com/d5UhWTFAdM
She expressed hope that Move Forward, the reform-minded political party which won last month’s election, will back the stance she’s taken.
Last Tuesday, Yok was expelled after she protested the school’s dress code by dyeing her hair and refusing to wear its uniform.
On Wednesday morning, the day after she was expelled over the violations, Yok returned to berate administrators from outside and attempted to enter the campus.
While the controversy drew support for the teen girl, who has been charged with insulting the monarchy, it also prompted an outpouring of hostility against her. Online, inflamed school defenders slammed her actions as inappropriate and dredged up rumors about her family life.
The Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakarn school later said it was justified in expelling the student activist because a parent had not accompanied her to register anew after she had to delay her education due to her incarceration.
Yok responded to say she had brought a qualified guardian instead.
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