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'Gun at your throat': viral rap song tests freedom of speech in Thailand

New song taps in to pent up anger over corruption and nepotism under country’s ruling junta

In a sweaty Bangkok basement over the weekend, hundreds of young Thais, hands in the air, roared angrily along with a rap song being performed on stage. “My country points a gun at your throat,” they sang. “It claims to have freedom but gives no right to choose.”

Over the past week, the refrain “Which is my country” has become the rallying cry for dissent in Thailand. It is the chorus of an anti-military rap song Prathet Ku Mee (What My Country’s Got) which has become an unprecedented phenomenon in Thailand, racking up over 21 million views in just seven days and directly challenging the military government.

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