Yok Phalancha, a 15-year-old activist, boldly walked into the Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakarn School in Bangkok on Monday morning, accompanied by the presence of policewomen outside to maintain order. Yok, a grade 10 student, has had her enrollment deemed “incomplete” by the school management, but she continues to fight for her right to an education.
Unabashedly sporting her signature dyed hair and casual clothing — a clear violation of school regulations — Yok expressed her determination and refused to accept the school’s assertion that her enrollment was incomplete. Despite having completed the process on May 16th, paying her school fees, and attending the school for a month, she still faces resistance.
Yok remains steadfast in her decision to wear her preferred hairstyle and clothing instead of a school uniform, as well as her refusal to participate in school ceremonies. She argues that her choices are a fundamental right and the ceremonies are indicative of authoritarianism. However, she has stated that she would agree to wear a uniform if every student at her school also consented.
She expressed disappointment with the election-winning Move Forward Party for their delayed response in supporting her cause, as they only issued a statement after Yok had climbed fences to enter her school for three days. The party has voiced its opposition to school regulations concerning student uniforms and hairstyles and asserted that all children have the right to an education, regardless of their guardians’ status, which should also apply to Yok’s situation.
Currently, Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakarn School, located in the Suan Luang district, has declared that Yok is no longer a student, citing her failure to complete the enrollment process. The school’s statement, signed by principal Jintana Srisarakham, claims that Yok’s parents did not attend the enrollment day and that her behavior poses a threat to the safety of other students, staff, parents, and school property.
Yok was recently released on bail from a juvenile detention center in Nakhon Pathom after facing charges of royal defamation. Last week, she arrived at school wearing casual clothes and her dyed hair in protest against uniform and hairstyle rules, prompting the school to bar her from the classroom. Undeterred, Yok climbed over the school fence three times to attend classes.
Despite the ongoing standoff at the school and being barred from entry, Yok has continued to express her desire to attend class and remains on the premises.
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