A week ago, the hashtags #BanSitala and #BanLuknang returned to social media again after K-pop girl group H1-Key dropped their debut music video Athletic Girl and performed in an online press conference. These hashtags appeared for the first time last December when South Korean entertainment agency Grandline Group (GLG) announced the debut of H1-Key, which included Thai singer Sitala Wongkrachang as the rapper. Sitala is the daughter of the famous late actor and political activist Saranyu Wongkrachang. When Thai anti-government supporters and K-pop fans discovered that Sitala had entered the industry, they were furious as her family had a role in the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) rallies, which led to the 2014 coup. They accused her of being a supporter of a dictatorship.
Much of the criticism focused on Sitala's interview during the online press conference. Korea Times reported that Sitala said the following regarding the controversy: "I want to emphasise that I do not have any political beliefs right now. In the past, I was not aware of what was happening in my country because I was young. I just hope that people with different perspectives can live together in peace in Thailand."
The part that Thai netizens criticised the most was that Sitala claimed to be too young to be aware of the political situation, but she was already 16 or 17 at that time. People wrote that at that age, Sitala was not a child and she should have understood clearly what she was doing. Many Thai netizens also wanted her to apologise for her actions in the past. Some even said that the PDRC rallies which shut down the airport damaged their businesses and they felt it was unfair to see Sitala have a good life while they lost their livelihoods.
Sitala is not the first celebrity to become a target of cancel culture which is a practice of withdrawing support for public figures after they have done something "unworthy". Many celebrities have been cancelled because their political standpoints are different from Thai netizens who can be either pro-democracy or government supporters.
I am certainly no fan of the junta government, but I disagree with netizens who are expressing hate towards Sitala and blaming her for damages caused by PDRC rallies. I believe the rapper participated in the rallies because her father was one of the PDRC leaders. Although I believe she was not too young to realise she was there to protest the government led by former PM Yingluck Shinawatra, we cannot be sure she supported the 2014 coup.
Many celebrities do not want to express their political standpoint in order to avoid being bombarded by opponents. It is understandable why Sitala said she does not have any political belief after facing backlash from netizens. It is fine if people dislike Sitala and decide to not support her work since everyone has the right to back celebrities of their choice, but it seems that many netizens are using Sitala to vent anger and frustration over the difficulties they are facing in their lives.
Some have complained about mismanagement that has caused them economic difficulties and then blame Sitala over her past actions for this government.
I understand how netizens feel about the junta government, but it is wrong to blame Sitala for their economic difficulties since she is not the prime minister or a government official. She may or may not be a government supporter, but if she has to take the blame for damages caused by the PDRC rallies, every participant must share the blame. Why do netizens point fingers only at Sitala specifically, but do not attack the PM and government officials in the same manner?
For some reason, almost all Thai singers in the K-pop industry, especially singers in large music labels such as Lisa Manoban, BamBam Kunpimook and Nichkhun Horvejkul, have faced backlash. Haters dislike and criticise everything about these singers, but after they become famous internationally and gain loyal fans around the world, the haters are silenced. Hence, the only way that Sitala can silence haters is to gain more fame, but this is not easy.
GLG, which created H1-Key, is a small music label. It is difficult for an emerging group to be successful in this competitive business. All four members of H1-Key have the potential to be successful, but it takes time to build up a fan base. Their hip-hop electronic song Athletic Girl is addictive and can hook listeners. Although sales of physical copies (around a thousand copies) are low, the music video had 3 million views on the fourth day after its release and received positive feedback from international YouTubers and viewers. In the latest episode of the TV music show Music Bank, Sitala appeared more confident and was smiling. Her performance was better than at the online press conference.
The hashtags #BanSitala and #BanLuknang cannot stop the growth of H1-Key's international fanbase, but they also need more Korean fans to be successful. This backlash is a good lesson for people to rethink before posting anything on their social media because digital footprints can be traced back to them in the future.
Suwitcha Chaiyong is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.
