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Thai protesters demonstrated in Bangkok late Wednesday (December 2) to condemn a constitutional court decision to acquit Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of wrongdoing for staying in an army dwelling beyond retirement. as head of the army.
Singing “get out” and “wicked prime minister”, they claimed that Mr. Prayut received preferential treatment. They also repeated their months-long demand that King Maha Vajiralongkorn stay above politics, as would be expected in constitutional monarchies.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Constitutional Court said that Prayut had the right to stay in guest accommodation at the First Infantry Regiment base in Bangkok, where he had been living before his retirement from the army. “General Prayut Chan-o-cha can legitimately remain in the army guest facilities … as a former army leader and as a person serving the country,” the court said. Had the court ruled otherwise, he could have been removed from power.
In May 2014, the then army chief staged a coup that overthrew the government led by the Pheu Thai Party and installed himself as prime minister. He retired from his military post in September of that year, but remained in the military barracks with his family. After the 2019 elections, he returned as prime minister at the head of the current coalition government.
Later, opposition lawmakers filed a complaint about his alleged abuse of power.
Mr. Prayut, 66, has said that he is staying at the barracks for security reasons. He did not appear in court yesterday, choosing to make a field visit to Samut Songkhram province and then attend a meeting at Government House.
Youth-led protests have taken place since February against the government, which protesters say is a holdover from the previous Prayut regime that triumphed by dint of a specially crafted constitution.
In addition to demanding that the Constitution be amended and Mr. Prayut resign, the protesters have also called for the monarchy to be reformed. The latest lawsuit is the most controversial, given that King Vajiralongkron of Thailand controls two units of the army and personally owns assets estimated at more than US $ 40 billion (S $ 53.6 billion) that used to be in the name of the Property Office. of the Crown.
While lawmakers voted in November to begin the Charter amendment process, most have been reluctant to touch the powers of the monarchy. The king, who usually spends much of the year in Germany, has toured Thailand with Queen Suthida and has met and praised the royalists up close.
Meanwhile, the government has also lifted a moratorium on the lese majesty charges, which were brought by the police against at least 12 protest leaders during the past week. Under this law, anyone convicted of insulting or defaming the king, queen or heir apparent can be imprisoned for up to 15 years.
The intensified police action did not deter protesters from demonstrating in front of an army base that housed a unit personally controlled by the king on Sunday.
At Wednesday’s rally, key protest leader Arnon Nampa, who has been indicted under the lese majesty law, again took aim at the king.
“A lot of problems will arise if the monarchy is not politically neutral,” he said in a setting designed to resemble a court. He promised that the protests will continue until next year and that the movement will grow.
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