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BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai police summoned seven anti-government protest leaders to face lese majesty charges for comments made at demonstrations demanding reforms to the monarchy, a police source and a human rights group said on Tuesday.
It will be the first time such charges have been brought under the so-called lese majesty laws related to insulting the royal family in more than two years. They can carry up to 15 years in prison.
The protests that began in July against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha have increasingly turned into demands to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, breaking a long-standing taboo of criticizing the monarchy.
The police source, who declined to be identified because it was not authorized to speak to the media, said the protest leaders had until November 30 to respond to the summons, which were presented for comments made at the protests. September 19 and 20.
One of the seven, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, told Reuters that his family had received a subpoena on the charges and that he was not concerned.
“This will expose the world to the brutality of the Thai feudal system,” he said. “We will continue fighting.”
Other appointees included human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, who became the first to call for royal reforms on August 3, and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, a student leader who filed 10 demands for royal reforms.
Neither was immediately available for comment.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights told Reuters that the police had notified the lawyers of the protest leaders.
ROYAL FORTUNE
The summons came a day before protesters said they will march to the office that administers the royal fortune to demand that the king relinquish personal control of the assets.
Police said Tuesday that protesters would not be allowed within 150 meters (450 feet) of the Crown Property Office, where royalists have also said they plan to rally in defense of a monarchy facing its greatest challenge in decades.
More than 50 people were injured last week when police used water cannons and tear gas against thousands of protesters in parliament on the most violent day in more than four months of demonstrations.
Among the protesters’ demands is the reversal of changes that gave the king personal control over a royal fortune valued at tens of billions of dollars.
The protest group FreeYouth said in a Twitter post that they would demonstrate on Wednesday to “claim property that should belong to the people.”
The Royal Palace has not commented since the protests began, although the king said the protesters were loved “anyway” when asked to comment on the demonstrations.
Prayuth has rejected protesters ‘calls to resign, saying last week that all laws would be used against protesters who violate them, prompting activists’ concern that actual laws on insults would be among them.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; written by Matthew Tostevin; edited by Michael Perry and Alex Richardson)
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