On Wednesday, a Thai court ordered the dissolution of the kingdom’s most popular political party, dealing a severe blow to Thailand’s thriving progressive movement and threatening further political upheaval.
The Move Forward Party secured a shock electoral victory in 2023, capturing the most parliamentary seats on an anti-establishment reform platform that gained widespread support, particularly among young people dissatisfied with years of military dictatorship.
Thai Court Orders Election-Winning Party To Dissolve In Major Blow To Kingdom’s Popular Progressive Movement
The Constitutional Court in Bangkok ruled on Wednesday that Move Forward should be disbanded in response to a request from Thailand’s Election Commission on the party’s campaign to modify lese majeste, the country’s notoriously severe royal insult statute.
In its unanimous decision, the court accused Move Forward of “undermining the monarchy, ” so “the constitutional court has to inevitably disband the party.”
In January, the same court ordered the party to halt its lese majeste campaign, charging its leaders, including former prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat, of attempting to subvert the constitutional monarchy.
Wednesday’s decision goes even further, dissolving the party and barring its executives from politics for ten years, effectively disenfranchising 14 million people who voted for them and raising new concerns about the deterioration of democratic rights in the kingdom.
Move Forward leaders have frequently stated that dissolution will not halt their movement. Pita told the Associated Press last week that they will keep fighting until Move Forward “becomes the last party that joins the graveyard of political parties.”
It is the first of two high-profile, politically charged cases that potentially exacerbate a power struggle between the establishment and progressives. The court will likely rule next week on a petition to remove Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office for appointing a lawyer who had previously served in jail to the Cabinet.
Crushing punch.
Move Forward’s election triumph was a significant success for progressive parties and dealt a devastating blow to Thailand’s conservative, military-backed establishment, which has ruled on and off for decades, frequently overthrowing popularly elected governments in coups.
Move Forward was ultimately unable to create a government because it did not receive enough support in parliament for its royal reform agenda, which largely favours the establishment of a democratic system enacted by the former ruling military junta.
Pita resigned as party leader, and it became the primary opposition.
Thailand’s stormy political past has historically seen groups advocating for change clash with the powerful establishment, which includes the military, royalists, and influential elites.
The ostensibly independent electoral commission, anti-corruption commission, and Constitutional Court are heavily stacked in favor of the establishment.
During the election, young people told CNN that they felt like the “forgotten generation” after nine years of living under military rule and struggling to find work or buy a home. “We just can’t see our future in this country,” one young legislator stated.
Wednesday’s decision would reinforce the belief among many young supporters that there is little chance for reform within Thailand’s democratic system.
Progressive MPs have been barred from holding office, parties have been disbanded, and governments have been overthrown. Thailand has had a dozen successful coups since 1932, including two in the last two decades.
This is the second time the court has ordered the dissolution of parties affiliated with Move Forward’s progressive movement.
Move Forward is the de facto successor of the Future Forward Party, which received the third highest number of seats in the 2019 elections. After the poll, Thailand’s Constitutional Court dissolved the party and barred its leaders from politics for a decade.
This drew millions of young people to the streets across the country, igniting a nationwide youth-led protest movement in 2020 that saw the rise of a new generation of young political leaders, many of whom openly criticized the monarchy and questioned its authority and wealth.
Lese Majeste is here to stay.
The verdict could ensure that no party or individual can lawfully argue for changes to lese majeste, also known as Section 112, without violating the Constitution.
The cries for monarchy reform ignited Thailand, where any open debate of the royal family risks imprisonment.
Criticising the monarch, queen, or heir apparent can result in a maximum 15-year prison sentence for each offence, with punishments lasting decades for individuals convicted under Section 112 of the country’s criminal code.
Hundreds of people have been punished in recent years, including Mongkol Thirakhot, who was sentenced to a record 50 years in prison in January for social media statements deemed harmful to the king.
Anyone, including regular citizens, can bring lese majeste charges on behalf of the king, even if they have no direct involvement in the matter. Move Forward promised to cut these major sentences and limit who may file a complaint.
Human rights organizations and free speech advocates have long claimed that the lese majeste law is used as a political tool to stifle critics of Thailand’s government.
Thai Court Orders Election-Winning Party To Dissolve In Major Blow To Kingdom’s Popular Progressive Movement
Many of the people who participated in the protests are now facing lese majeste charges and lengthy prison sentences.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights reported that 1,954 persons have been prosecuted for participating in political gatherings since the protests began in July 2020, with at least 272 accused for lese majeste.
Arnon Nampa, a prominent activist lawyer, is serving an eight-year sentence for two lese majeste charges.
In May, the death of a young Thai activist in pre-trial custody on lese majeste allegations startled many in the country and rekindled calls for justice reform.
SOURCE | CNN
