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BANGKOK – Thai authorities have escalated their legal battle against students leading pro-democracy protests, accusing 12 of them of violating a tough law against defamation of the monarchy.
News of the charges comes as the Thai capital, Bangkok, prepared for another rally on Wednesday, as students press their demands that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government resign, the constitution be amended to make it more democratic. and the monarchy is reformed. to be more responsible.
On Tuesday, police issued subpoenas for 12 protest leaders to respond to charges of lese majesty, defame or insult key members of the royal family. The crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The law is controversial because anyone, not just royals or authorities, can file a complaint, for which in the past it had been used as a weapon in political retaliation. But it has not been used for the past three years, after King Maha Vajiralongkorn informed the government that he did not wish to see its use. The king has not publicly commented on the law since.
According to the legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, the 12 suspects include top protest leaders known for their public criticism of the monarchy.
Many in the student-led protest movement believe that the monarchy has too much power for a constitutional monarchy. But the royalists fiercely oppose their challenge, viewing the royal institution as an untouchable foundation of national identity.
One of the 12 leaders of the protest, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, posted his response to the subpoena on Twitter on Tuesday, saying: “I am no longer afraid. Ceiling [of our demands] It is destroyed. No one can stop us now. “
The protest movement late Tuesday night announced a change of venue for its last rally, which was to focus on the monarchy. He had previously announced that it would take place outside the offices of the Crown Property Office, which manages the vast fortune controlled by the king. But the target was later moved to the head office of the Siam Commercial Bank, a publicly traded company in which the king is the largest shareholder.
The protest movement announced that the change of venue was to avoid a confrontation with the police and royalist counter-protesters, who said they feared it could trigger a declaration of martial law or a coup by the military.
The last major demonstration, in front of Parliament, witnessed chaos and violence as police used water cannons and tear gas to prevent protesters from entering the parliamentary compound. AP
