Panisa “Khun TaTa” Ruengchai from Serii- Palestine
We are from Serii Palestine which is a Thai activist group focusing on advocating for the liberation of Palestine while also addressing issues of democracy and human rights globally.
We have been working on spreading awareness both online and on-site, such as organizing an online workshop and onsite events and protests. We have already seen positive changes, with more Thai people starting to speak out and engage with the issues surrounding the Palestinian cause.
My perspectives on how we can build Palestine solidarity among our region
It is important to acknowledge that the Palestinian cause is an intersectional cause. This means that it connects to many causes and struggles like anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, and refugee and migration issues, all of which are present and common in our region. As the Palestinians have been fighting against settler colonialism and imperialism by Israel supported by the West, we have histories of resisting colonialism and imperialism. As the Palestinians have been forcefully displaced and denied the right of return, we are witnessing the problem of refugees in our region who face ongoing statelessness and insecurity like the Rohinya people.
It also extends to the matter of global capitalism, environmental justice, feminism, queer liberation, and many more. For example, we can see how Israel has engaged in Greenwashing and Pinkwashing to portray themselves as a morally superior one in the environmental and gender issues to whitewash their horrible war crimes.
By framing the Palestinian cause as an intersectional struggle, we can create shared experiences and common understanding to foster stronger solidarity and hopefully it can lead to collective action across our region or in your own country and society. Even if in each country and society, we have different context and background, I believe that we all have our own issues and struggles that are interconnected with the Palestinian cause.
Experiences in organizing solidarity actions for Palestine
I would like to provide some examples of how our group Serii Palestine has stood in solidarity with other activist groups. For example, with Milk Tea Alliance–a group against the One China Policy, against coups in Thailand and Myanmar, and supporting peace–we have been working together and supporting each other’s causes such as organizing events together, participating in rallies like the Pride Parade in Bangkok where we brought up the cause of Palestine and Myanmar and other oppressed minority groups globally, which shows that these issues are interconnected, because this is the issue of humanity and human rights which is our common ground and our shared values. When we stand for humanity, we cannot support one cause while ignoring others.
To summarize, to build Palestine solidarity, we need to be able to make people see that the Palestinian cause is not a distant issue, but one deeply connected to existing struggles around them. By highlighting these connections, we can foster empathy and strengthen solidarity with the Palestinian people.
