Knocked by rappers, Thai government responds with own tune

BANGKOK When a rap video critical of Thailand’s military government became a huge sensation, the authorities first responded with threats to arrest its creators.

Then they did what the establishment often does when under fire: Try to co-opt the genre.

So on Thursday a government “Thailand 4.0” rap video was played to introduce Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha’s remarks to about 500 attendees of a conference on start-ups.

The video was seen as a reaction to the popularity of the music video “Prathet Ku Mee” — translated by its producers as “Which Is My Country” — which castigates the army's domination over Thai politics. The video has logged over 25 million views since it was posted on YouTube on Oct. 22.

Prayuth himself has penned several patriotic ditties since seizing power in 2014.

Most fans of rap and hip-hop would find “Thailand 4.0” lame. It features a melodic sampling of the national anthem and lyrics such as “There are many talented Thais, if we work together, we’d be stronger, stronger” and “Gen M, Gen Z, Gen whatever, if you all agree, it’d be easier, easier.”

Officials are not so pleased with “Prathet Ku Mee,” which comes ahead of a general election planned for early next year and amid signs of public disenchantment with army rule.

The video provocatively references taboo subjects in Thai society. It replicates a gruesome historic scene where a corpse hanging from a tree is continuously beaten as a crowd cheers on, based on an iconic image from a 1976 massacre by police and soldiers of student pro-democracy demonstrators. A group of rappers takes turns delivering verses such as “The country that points a gun at your throat, claims to have freedom but has no right to choose,” and “you must choose to either eat the truth, or bullets.”