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Key Thai opposition figure faces royal defamation charge

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/01/20/coronavirus-thailand.jpg"/><figcaption>Benja Apan, a pro-democracy protestor, holds a sign reading &quot;Vaccine monopoly to promote the monarchy&quot; as she protests against the government&#x27;s vaccination strategy reliant on a company owned by King Maha Vajiralongkorn amid the spread of COVID-19 in Bangkok, January 19, 2021. <em>United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, handout via Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>A Thai billionaire opposition figure was accused Wednesday 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.</p><p>Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, founder of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, was accused of contravening Thailand&#x27;s strict royal defamation laws by posting a video Monday criticising the government&#x27;s vaccine strategy. </p><p>In the video he raised questions about whether Thailand&#x27;s vaccination campaign is too reliant on Siam BioScience, which is owned by the Crown Property Bureau -- a body that manages the royal family&#x27;s multi-billion-dollar fortune.</p><p>His video drew the ire of Thailand&#x27;s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, which on Wednesday filed a royal defamation complaint against him. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/15/20/timeline-thailand-cracks-down-on-protesters">TIMELINE: Thailand cracks down on protesters</a></li></ul><p>&quot;What Mr. Thanathorn said is not the truth; the facts have been distorted,&quot; ministry representative Tossapol Pengsom told reporters. </p><p>He said there were 11 instances in the video where the opposition figure allegedly insulted the monarchy, and the ministry would be file a complaint under the Computer Crimes Act. </p><p>The lese majeste law, referred to as &quot;112&quot; by its penal code section, is meant to shield the royal family from defamation, and carries sentences of between three to 15 years in jail per charge. </p><p>It has, however, been broadly interpreted to cover any perceived criticism of the monarchy, with some saying the law is also used to target government dissent.</p><p>On Tuesday, a court sentenced a former civil servant arrested in 2015 to more than 43 years in prison for disseminating audio clips deemed defamatory to the monarchy -- the harshest punishment ever received. </p><p>The law&#x27;s use slowed in 2018, which Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha said was due to the &quot;mercy&quot; of the king. </p><p>But it returned in full force last year, in response to mass demonstrations staged by a pro-democracy movement calling for Prayut&#x27;s removal from office and -- more controversially -- for reforms to the unassailable monarchy. </p><p>So far, at least 43 protesters have been charged for their role in the protests.</p><div><strong>- Stalled cases -</strong></div><p>The kingdom appears to now be going through a backlog of stalled lese majeste cases.</p><p>Thanathorn -- who threw his support behind the movement when it started in mid-July -- is the highest-profile target since the spike in the law&#x27;s use. </p><p>&quot;It means that the draconian law is in full swing and can be used indiscriminately,&quot; said political analyst Thitinan Pongsudirak, of Chulalongkorn University. </p><p>Pannika Wanich, Thanathorn&#x27;s de facto spokesperson, told AFP it was &quot;obvious&quot; the law is was being deployed &quot;aggressively against the government’s political enemies&quot;. </p><p>Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri did not respond immediately for comment. </p><p>Before it was disbanded, Thanathorn&#x27;s Future Forward Party was Thailand&#x27;s third-largest, drawing millions of supporters who were attracted to his anti-establishment platform during the 2019 election. </p><p>But they were felled by swift legal action, which saw its top executives, including Thanathorn, banned from politics and the party dissolved. </p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GFIXUjGhLE0?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>A Thai billionaire opposition figure was accused 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.<br /> </p>

A Thai billionaire opposition figure was accused 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.