Thai netizens are just hoping that the idol will speak up. On Monday, they once again called out BLACKPINK's Lisa due to her silence amid the current political conflict in her homeland.
Along with this, the hashtag #แบนลิซ่า which means "Ban Lisa" trended on Twitter, containing messages that the idol should be banned due to her apathy regarding the crisis.
In particular, this is not the first time that the Thai K-pop idol and member of the one biggest girl groups as of now, BLACKPINK, receives such disapproval from her fellow citizens.
For the past months starting August, netizens of Thailand, especially the youth, have been mentioning Thai K-pop idols, including NCT/WayV/SuperM's Ten, 2PM's Nichkhun, GOT7's Bambam, CLC's Sorn, and many more to participate in their pro-democracy movement.
As a quick explanation as to #whatishappeninginthailand, the citizens have been living under the military dictatorship or the Jungta government since 2014. With the excessive state power and authority, Thais lose their liberty and this affects their human rights as well.
When they tried to speak up, activists and pro-democracy supporters in particular were threatened, attacked, and some also disappeared.
Bearing the risk to their lives, netizens tried to capture the attention of Thailand-born idols as their resort to speak up. Thais are hoping the celebrities will lend their voices, thinking that the government will not harm them and the idols will not suffer the consequences as they are not only popular in Thailand and Korea, but around the globe as well.
However, when the idols did not speak up, Thai citizens were enraged and used the hashtag #แบนไอดอลคนไทยในเกาหลี (ban Thai idols in South Korea) and expressed their disappointment.
BLACKPINK's Lisa, being one of the most successful and influential superstars, received immense backlash the most.
Netizens started pressuring the idol again, to make her say something about the political situation Thailand is experiencing.
Meanwhile, Thai BLINKs (fandom of BLACKPINK) counter the negative hashtag using #กลมๆลิซ่า (Round Lisa), along with their messages of love and support to the idol.
International BLINKs also joined in and used the hashtag #leavelisaalone to make the female star comfortable to help spread positive energy.
Last month, 2PM's Nichkhun became one of the first Thai K-pop idols to speak up about the matter, saying, "The use of violence is something I can't suppress and stand idly. Violence never helped anything." He ended the post by hoping for everyone's safety and to take care of themselves.
The also known "Thai Prince," which is a title given by his fans, posted it on Twitter, amassing retweets from internet users and receiving support from fans. GOT7's BamBam also spoke up and talked about violence not being the solution but listening and respecting an individual.
"Their voice matters," a youth commented.
Despite the criticism, fans of Lisa said that her silence doesn't mean she's siding with the oppressor. Rather, she has her company, family, and other circumstances she has to consider before speaking up, knowing how small things about her can fuel bigger issues.
What do you think about this situation?
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
