- Title: Young climate activists 'drop dead' at Thai environment ministry
- Date: 20th September 2019
- Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (SEPTEMBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS LYING DOWN AS THEY FEIGN DEATH TO PROTEST AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE YOUNG PROTESTERS LYING ON THE FLOOR WITH SIGN READING (English) 'You lie and I die' YOUNG ACTIVISTS HOLDING SIGNS READING (English) 'No school < No future' YOUNG STRIKER CHANTING: 'I WILL DIE OF CLIMATE CHANGE' YOUNG STRIKER LAYING ON THE FLOOR WITH SIGN READING (English) 'The planet is getting hotter than my imaginary boyfriend' STRIKERS LYING WITH POSTERS YOUNG PROTESTERS HOLDING POSTERS AND CHANTING: "SAVE OUR EARTH, SAVE OUR EARTH" (SOUNDBITE) (English) YOUNG STRIKER (MIDDLE), PEEM PRASERTSUNTARASAI, SAYING: "We are skipping school because teachers teach us how to work in the future, but if we don't do this, there will be no future for us to work in. So what's the point of studying in school if the world is going to be gone." VARIOUS OF PROTEST ORGANISER, NANTICHA OCHAROENCHAI HANDING OPEN LETTER TO THAI GOVERNMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTEST ORGANIZER, NANTICHA OCHAROENCHAI, SAYING: "Youth activism is very important because a lot of youths can't vote, they don't have decision making power in fossil fuel investments or plastic use, but what the youths can do is talk about the problem and make noise about it and demand it from the people who can create a change." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING WITH BANNERS ON THE STREET OF BANGKOK STUDENT SAYING: 'WE HAVE COME TOGETHER AS STUDENT, WE SKIPPED SCHOOL FOR THIS, WE MISSING OUR EDUCATION TO COME HERE TODAY. OUR EDUCATION WILL NOT BE IMPORTANT IF WE DON'T HAVE A LIFE TO LIVE FOR ANYMORE. WHAT DO WE WANT, CLIMATE JUSTICE. WHEN DO WE WANT IT, NOW." STRIKERS MARCHING AND CHANTING 'CLIMATE JUSTICE, NOW' STRIKERS MARCHING BY THE ROAD SIDE VARIOUS OF STRIKERS STANDING WHILE HOLDING BANNERS ON THE BRIDGE VARIOUS OF STRIKERS MARCHING
- Embargoed: 4th October 2019 09:00
- Keywords: Thailand Bangkok Climate Climate change Strike activists protest march
- Location: BANGKOK, THAILAND
- City: BANGKOK, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001AXGMS7B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: More than 200 young people in Thailand stormed into the environment ministry and dropped to the ground feigning death as they demanded government action on climate change on Friday (September 20) along with thousands of protesters around the world.
The young strikers were chanting "Save our Earth" as they marched into the government compound, before lying down on the ground to play dead.
"We're skipping school because teachers teach us how to work in the future, but if we don't do this, there will be no future for us to work in," said Peem Prasertsuntarasai, 11-year-old who joined the strike with two schoolmates, Ari and Jay. They were holding placards featuring drawings of melting icebergs and power plants emitting dark smokes.
The Bangkok strike was part protests taking place in some 150 countries on Friday, inspired by the 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who urged students and others from around the world to speak in one voice about the impending effects of climate change on the planet.
A senior official at the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment came out to accept a letter from the students demanding climate action, saying he was supportive of the student action.
(Production: Jiraporn Kuhakan) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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