Thai police revive royal defamation law ahead of protest
News of the charges comes as the Thai capital Bangkok girded for another pro-democracy rally Wednesday, Nov. 25. Police on Tuesday issued summonses for 12 protest leaders to answer charges of lese majeste, defaming or insulting key members of the royal family. Many in the student-led protest movement believe the monarchy holds too much power for a constitutional monarchy. One of the 12 protest leaders, Parit โPenguinโ Chiwarak, posted his response to the summons on Twitter on Tuesday, saying: โI am not afraid anymore. A protest rally on Nov. 17 turned chaotic, as police employed water cannons and tear gas to block the protesters from entering the Parliament grounds.
Thai democracy protesters march despite police, rival groups
Thousands of pro-democracy protesters march out from the Democracy Monument to the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Despite a massive security presence and harassment from counter-demonstrators, thousands of protesters marched from Bangkokโs Democracy Monument toward Government House, the offices of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Before leaving Democracy Monument, several small clashes broke out between protesters and their opponents, who traded punches and threw plastic bottles as police tried to keep them apart. That demand has caused a huge controversy because the royal institution has long been considered sacrosanct and a pillar of Thai identity. Efforts by several royalist groups to counter the previous rallies fell flat, but the turnout of counter-demonstrators was much larger Wednesday.