Political Party Calling for Abolition of Lese Majeste Gains Attention in Thai General Election

[Bangkok = Daiki Fujikawa]In the general election of the Thai lower house (500 seats), which will be voted and counted on the 14th, a political party that will revise “Article 112 of the Criminal Code”, which stipulates the crime of lese majesty punishing slander and insults against the royal family, is attracting attention. ing.

On May Day, a Thai woman was seen among migrant workers marching on Bangkok’s main thoroughfare. Tantawan Tuaturanon, 21, who wears blonde hair, a black jacket and lace-up boots, is an activist calling for the abolition of lese majeste.

Tantawan was arrested last February on charges of lese majeste after conducting a street survey asking whether traffic restrictions accompanying royal motorcades were “a nuisance.” Even after he was released on bail, he appealed to other activists for bail and judicial reform, and in January this year he himself asked the court to cancel his bail. Two days after she was re-imprisoned, she went on a hunger strike with another female activist.

He went on a 37-day hunger strike during his detention after his arrest, but this time it lasted just under two months. “It was a dangerous situation where I could lose consciousness or my heart would stop at any moment,” he recalls.

Credit Suisse (at the time) estimated in 2019 that “more than half of the wealth is concentrated in the top 1% of the country’s richest people” in Thailand, and the royal family reigns supreme. The royal family’s fortune is not disclosed, but is estimated at $43 billion. Criticism of the royal family, on the other hand, is taboo. According to a lawyers group, 243 people were indicted for lese majeste charges for participating in protests calling for reform of the royal family from July 2020 to May this year, when anti-government demonstrations expanded.

Mr. Tantawan is a royal political intervention andgreat（bomb）Participating in political rallies since 2020. “All I can say about the royal family is admiration and loyalty,” he exasperates. He has low expectations of politicians and does not reveal which party he supports, but says he “decides” which party he will vote for in the general election.

The Pheu Thai Party, the largest opposition party, which is believed to have the upper hand in the general election, avoids mentioning the lese majeste crime for fear of backlash from conservatives. On the other hand, the second opposition party, the Advancement Party, is gaining support, especially among young people, for its radical policies, such as amending the penal code that stipulates the crime of lese majeste and abolishing the conscription system.

In a survey released by the National Institute of Development Administration on the 3rd, Pita, 42, leader of the Forward Party, came out on top with 35.44% of the vote. Phae Thong Tan (36), the Pheu Thai Party’s prime minister candidate, who has held the top spot until now, slipped to second place with 29.2%. In terms of party approval ratings, the Forward Party is trailing the Pheu Thai Party.