Lese majeste law takes centre stage
published : 15 Feb 2021 at 04:30
7 An activist flashes a three-finger sign as he joins a demonstration calling for monarchy reform and charter amendments in Nonthaburi in December last year. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
The infamous lese majeste law, or Section 112 of the Criminal Code, appears to have taken centre stage in the escalating political conflict since the Feb 9 indictment of four leading members of the pro-reform Ratsadon group by public prosecutors and the four s detention at the Bangkok Remand Prison on the same day after the Criminal Court rejected their bail requests.
The detention of Parit Penguin Chivarak, Arnon Nampa, Somyot Prueksakasemsook and Patiwat Saraiyaem sparked protests by their followers that evening at the Pathumwan Skywalk.
Thai pro-democracy groups vow to intensify protests as leaders charged
Randy Thanthong-Knight, Bloomberg
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Arnon Nampa, a human right lawyer and a prominent leader in Thailand s protest movement, during an interview in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 17, 2020.Bloomberg photo by Taylor Weidman.
Thai pro-democracy groups have vowed to intensify their protests calling for monarchy reform and a new constitution a day after a Bangkok court sent four of their leaders into pretrial detention on royal defamation charges.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Wednesday in central Bangkok for a second day to demand the immediate release of leaders, and to protest the government s inaction toward their demands. One of the key protest leaders, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul said earlier that the refusal of bail is a sign that authorities are adopting a confrontational stance.
Protesters gather at Pathumwan intersection in Bangkok on Wednesday. (Bangkok Post photo)
Pro-democracy groups have vowed to intensify their protests calling for monarchy reform and a new constitution, a day after a Bangkok court sent four of their leaders into pretrial detention on royal defamation charges.
Activists will gather at Pathumwan intersection for a second day to demand the immediate release of leaders and warn the refusal of bail is a sign authorities are adopting a confrontational stance, one of the key protest leaders, Panusaya Rung Sithijirawattanakul said on Wednesday.
The Criminal Court on Tuesday denied bail to lawyer Anon Nampa, student leader Parit Penguin Chiwarak and two others accused of breaking Thailand’s lese majeste law. The detained leaders are among activists who have spearheaded a movement that’s broken long-held taboos about publicly discussing and questioning the monarchy.
Thailand Revives Prison Terms for Royal Insults to Stop Protests Bloomberg 2/3/2021 Randy Thanthong-Knight
(Bloomberg) After Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn took the throne in 2016, he instructed the government to stop using a controversial law criminalizing royal insults that had often forced those charged to flee overseas.
Yet after months of protests targeting him personally and calling for a reduction in the monarchy’s powers, authorities are again ramping up use of the law. Since late November, some 55 activists who participated in the demonstrations are facing royal defamation lawsuits, according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
The fresh charges appear to be a tactical shift in a bid to silence the key leaders of the protests, which have broken long-held taboos and started a public discussion about the monarchy particularly among Thailand’s younger generations. Although the demonstrations have become less frequent in recent weeks as vi
BANGKOK, Jan 31 (Reuters): Thailand recorded a current account deficit of US$0.7 billion in December after a deficit of US$1.5 billion in the previous month, the central bank had announced.