As most of readers would be aware, the number of lese majeste cases has seen a remarkable increase over the past decade, associated with the ongoing political conflict, where lese majeste has been used, almost exclusively by royalists, to silence critics and to maintain the political ascendency of the royalist elite.
Since the May 2014 coup, the military dictatorship has used the lese majeste law extensively to repress political dissent and to harass those it considers dangerous red shirts and anti-royalists. The military junta has claimed there is a widespread anti-monarchy movement that it has to suppress. In fact, as the cases brought to public attention indicate, there is no plot, just an awakening that the monarchy is the lynchpin of anti-democratic politics.
Just yesterday there was yet another example of the junta’s use of lese majeste against those who have had their eyes opened wide in recent years. Prachatai reports that a “military court in Bangkok on Friday rejected bail request of the man accused of writing messages defaming the King on restroom walls of a shopping malls, despite his illness” that threatens the 67 year-old’s sight.
Opas Charnsuksai was arrested for allegedly writing messages that were “anti-monarchy.” In fact, the graffiti he is accused of writing was an attack on The Dictator, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and his use of monarchy and lese majeste.
The message of the graffiti appears accurate of the political situation, and says nothing libelous of the monarchy, but obviously angers The Dictator. The arrest of Opas really makes the point. Speaking and writing the truth is no defense when facing the self-declared royalist military dictatorship.
The extent of the lese majeste dragnet and the huge fear it creates has been revealed when The Nation reports that Police Colonel Somporn Dangdee, deputy commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, told an Chulalongkorn University seminar that the police have “dealt with more than 10,000 cases of lese majeste in recent years…”.
This number of “cases” was not explained, but the action began under the previous government. The thought-control cop stated:
“Police have monitored illegal behaviour continuously. We have not just become serious after the National Council for Peace and Order took over control of the country. We started since the previous government. Until now, we have dealt with more than 10,000 cases…”.
He added that “more arrests had been made after the coup, particularly in cases where the offence was committed through social media and the Internet. More cases have been brought to court since martial law was imposed.”
The lese majeste terror is unlikely to be scaled back. The military’s coup in 2014 is simply another royalist coup, and the dictators will continue to use the monarchy to bolster its rule and lese majeste to batter its opponents.
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