In August and September 2013 Thai rubber farmers blockaded a main road in Khuan Nong Hong Junction, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand, demanding that the government guarantee the price of rubber. From there the movement spread to other places in the region. This article examines the development of the movement with special attention to participants’ reasons and affect. Interviews with farmers who initiated or participated in the movement revealed multiple reasons for their involvement, ranging from events that took place during the course of the movement to the insincere attitude of the government. An observation of the blockade revealed that participants’ gestures and expressions reflected emotions that coalesced in the form of physical anger, which finally led to the blockade. The government’s misunderstanding of the role of emotion complicated the situation.
