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Key Thai opposition figure faces lese majeste charge
Thu, 21 January 2021
A Thai billionaire opposition figure was accused on January 20 of defaming the monarchy, a day after a court sentenced a former civil servant to more than 40 years in jail for lese majeste crimes.
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, founder of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, was accused of contravening Thailand’s strict royal defamation laws by posting a video on January 18 criticising the government’s vaccine strategy.
In the video he raised questions about whether Thailand’s vaccination campaign is too reliant on Siam BioScience, which is owned by the Crown Property Bureau – a body that manages the royal family’s multi-billion-dollar fortune.
Thailand: Record-breaking lèse-majesté sentence highlights need for legal reform
The conviction and sentencing of a 65-year-old woman said to have insulted the Thai monarchy is a shocking attack on human rights, said ARTICLE 19. The Thai government should reverse course and end a recent surge in the use of Thailand’s draconian
lèse-majesté provision to target peaceful protesters and those expressing critical opinions.
On 19 January, the Bangkok Criminal Court convicted Anchan Preelert, a retired civil servant, to 87 years’ imprisonment under Thailand’s draconian
lèse-majesté provision, codified in Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code. The provision provides for up to 15 years’ imprisonment for each offence. Anchan was accused of re-posting 29 video clips and posts concerning the monarchy on YouTube and Facebook. The Court reduced the sentence to 43-and-a-half years after she acknowledged her guilt.
A banned opposition politician, who is facing a criminal complaint of defaming the monarchy, defended on Thursday his criticism of the government's coronavirus vaccine strategy that relies on a company owned by His Majesty the King.