A Prachatai report comments on the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship urging “the government to take legal action against two Privy Councillors and a former Prime Minister for their comments about the Crown Prince” over comments reported in this Wikileaks cable.
The cable named Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda, Privy Councillor Air Chief Marshal Siddhi Savetsila and former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun as making apparently truthful but derogatory comments regarding succession.
While PPT understands that red shirts see double standards in this process, we have to agree with the well-known critic of the monarchy, Thammasat University lecturer Somsak Jeamtheerasakul, who has argued against this move.
He argues that “any accusation of lèse majesté was unjustifiable, and went radically against the principles of democracy.” He argues that the use of lese majeste by anyone further legitimates this draconian political law.
He argues that the cable should be used to further expose the hypocrisy of the elite “such as Prem, Siddhi and Anand … [when they] are staunch advocates of the discourse on loyalty and the lèse majesté law, in order to gag public opinion.”
He wants the UDD to campaign “for the abolition of the law, instead of encouraging its use.” Well said.
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