TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As anti-government protests intensified in Thailand on Wednesday (Oct. 14), this photo surfaced on social media showing demonstrators waving the Taiwan independence flag, Hong Kong pro-democracy flag, and the flag of Tibet.

During protests in Bangkok on Wednesday against the government of Prayut Chan-o-cha, which include demands for the reform of the Thai monarchy, Thai netizen @sleepless captured this photo of protesters waving banners frequently used by protesters seeking independence or autonomy for Taiwan, Tibet, and Hong Kong. In the caption, Sleepless also included the hashtag "#MilkTeaAlliance," which refers to an alliance of Thai, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong netizens originally formed in response to attacks by Chinese trolls against Thai celebrity Vachirawit Chivaaree and his girlfriend Weeraya Sukaram for their perceived support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and Taiwan independence activists.

The green and white banner is the flag of the World Taiwanese Congress (WTC), which was formed in 2001 and is often used by pro-independence protesters in Taiwan. The black and white banner is known as the Black Bauhinia flag and is a modified version of the official flag of the special administrative region that first came to the forefront during the 2019 Hong Kong protests and is frequently used by pro-democracy protesters.

The flag of Tibet, also known as the "snow lion flag," was the banner for the polity of Tibet from 1916 to 1951. After the 1959 Tibetan Rebellion, the 14th Dalai Lama adopted the flag for the Tibetan Government in Exile, and it is now used by supporters of Tibetan independence.

HongKong, Tibet, Taiwan dependence flags on street of Bangkok today.#MilkTeaAlliance pic.twitter.com/2nDtBKu2YY

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