Thailand Declares State of Emergency to the Protest Against Monarchy
- 82newsbulletin
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min read
Written by Victoria Mingyang Ni
The Thai royals are protected by Section 112 of the country’s Penal Code, which says whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the Regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years. In Thai, it is commonly known as the Lese Majeste Law. Tourists are also subject to this law.
Since the 2014 coup, more than 90 people have been prosecuted under the Lese Majeste Law and at least 43 of them have been sentenced.
The recent Pro-democracy protests which lasted several months in Thailand have largely remained peaceful. The main demand is the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, a former army chief who took power in a 2014 coup. The movement also calls for a monarchy reform, which includes the abolition of the controversial Lese Majeste Law. Although there has been subtle criticism of the king, this is the first time in Thai history to have public demonstration about the dissatisfaction towards the king.
The royalists (those supporting the monarchy, 保皇派), known as the ‘yellow Shirts’ also went on the street to support the monarchy. The two groups clashed several times, causing light casualties.
The Thai government has announced an emergency decree to curb student-led anti-government protests in Bangkok.
Additionally, the Thai king brought along 20 concubines to live in Germany with COVID-19 severely impacting Thailand. It is reported that he spent lavishly during the vacation, inciting even more public anger.
Berlin has said it would be unacceptable for King Maha Vajiralongkorn to conduct politics in Germany and Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said the European country continued to look into his behaviour during long sojourns in Bavaria. Germany warned of “immediate consequences” if Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn broke the law on its soil as thousands of protesters gathered outside its embassy in Bangkok on Monday, stepping up the pressure in their campaign for changes to the monarchy.
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