A Thailand court sentenced a 27-year-old political activist to 28 years in prison on account of posting messages on Facebook that violated the country’s law and defamed the country’s monarch. The reports suggest that two young women charged with the same offense, continued a hunger strike after being hospitalized,
while several other Tailanders are currently in detention on the same charges.
The Kingdom of Thailand, a southeast Asian Monarch is famous for its historic beauty, tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ornate temples, and ancient ruins along with numerous effigies of Buddha. Historically, the Thai people had rendered unmatchable sacrifices to get rid of monarchs, however, the nation could only attain nominal achievements in the shape of a national constitution, political reforms, and meager political processes. The nation suffered multiple coups, constitutional collapse, and fake elections, but the ruins of Monarchs flourished in different forms throughout history.
Interestingly, the Thai nation still battling the worst kind of Monarchial laws that resist the public freedom of expression, and civil liberties and regulate political activities in the country. One of the notorious legislation which gained worldwide attention is the lese majeste law, which deals with the so-called prestige of the Thai Monarch, his family, close relatives, and other associates who enjoy some kind of relations with the Highness. The law carries a prison term of three to 15 years for each insulting action/statement regarding the monarchy.
A Student-led pro-democracy movement began in Thailand in 2020, which encouraged the youth to raise their voices for their rights and thus an open criticism of the monarch became customary. Previously, a taboo was subject to vigorous prosecutions under the law, currently, Facebook and social media posts and messages are being monitored by the LEAs to safeguard Monarch’s esteem among the masses. Thai political parties are considering some legislation to reduce the severity of the lese majeste law, but no one dares to be a whistleblower. In fact, the prestige of the high-ups is a highly sensitive and delicate aspect which seriously hurts by the trivial posts and vague messages while its implications cost the lives of the poor. Although the world had made unprecedented progress in the modern age yet, slavery, monarchs, dictatorship, and absolutism persist in the world. A sense of humiliation has arisen in the Thai public so sooner or later the menace of the Monarch would collapse in Bangkok.
