Thailand criticised over ‘royal insult’ charges

BANGKOK: Thailand faced criticism from international rights groups yesterday for bringing charges of insulting the monarchy against protest leaders who have challenged King Maha Vajiralongkorn as well as the government.

A police source said 15 protest leaders had been summoned to acknowledge lese majeste charges over comments made at protests in September and October, when they spoke about the king’s behaviour, lifestyle and spending.

“No one should be arrested or imprisoned merely for criticising public officials or a system of government,” said human rights lawyer Amal Clooney in a statement from the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights said “lese-majeste must not be used to criminalise pro-democracy protest leaders and participants”.

Responding to the criticism, government spokesman Rachada Dhnadirek said: “The government has been open-minded to rights and freedoms despite many imprudent expressions which offend the majority. The government must use its authorised powers.”

The royal insult laws have not been used since 2018 and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said in June that they were not being used at the request of the king.

Since July, protesters have been calling for the removal of Prayuth. They are also demanding curbs on the king’s powers.

The FreeYouth protest group said: “Transferring the crown property to the king’s property is equivalent to a robbery of the nation’s wealth”, referring to a 2017 change in the law that gave the king control of the Crown Property Bureau. – Reuters