Vajiralongkorn


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Five years after Bhumibol’s passing, images reveal missed opportunities
Posted On October 13, 2021
National unity, harmony and popular legitimacy are in short supply in Thailand. The illusion of two out of the three—unity and harmony—disappeared the day King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away five years ago this week. Popular legitimacy is hard to attain. As the story goes, and repeated by scholar after scholar, a young Bhumibol receives a boost from the regime of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, who in turn gives license to implement anti-communist policies rebuild the monarchy from the ashes of the 1932 revolution.
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Southeast Asia  / Thailand
As lèse majesté cases soar, what does this tell us about the Thai state?
January 29, 2021

The number of recent lèse majesté cases in Thailand have soared to near 60, as prominent former Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and a retired former civil servant made headlines over the past week. Thanathorn’s lèse majesté case came after the 42-year-old auto parts billionaire ran a live broadcast that questioned the capacity of the King Maha Vajiralongkorn-owned Siam BioScience in producing coronavirus vaccines in Thailand.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Why reducing Thailand’s inequality is essential to reducing political tension
January 20, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has done considerable damage to the Thai economy and has been one of the major catalysts for political grievances with the government that erupted into widespread protests last year. While Thailand’s pro-democracy, pro-reform movement is set to resume protests against the political status quo – albeit in different form due to Covid-19 restrictions – Thais from all walks of life face continued economic crises with national economic activity in freefall.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Thai police have, in the past decade, evolved to be zealous enforcers of Thai conservatism
January 19, 2021

In the middle of the night, the Royal Thai Police came for Sirichai “New” Nathuang, a student at Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus. Accused of lèse majesté or defaming the Thai monarchy for spray painting political messages on the portraits of three members of the Royal Family, he was then charged with a cybercrime charge later for refusing to surrender his computer password to authorities.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
The return of Article 112 means an increase in royalist witchhunts
November 25, 2020

The Royal Thai Police have summoned the leaders of the anti-government protesters to face charges of lèse majesté, stemming from comments made that called for institutional reforms to Thailand’s monarchy. Three of the leaders include student leaders Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, as well as human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, who began discussing monarchical reforms as early as August. The summons comes after a planned protest outside the Crown Property Bureau.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Who rules Thailand, the military or the monarchy?
November 16, 2020

In Thailand’s turbulent politics, old political taboos are being shattered and the once off-limits monarchy is being subject to public criticism. Youth-led protesters are targeting 10 specific areas of government and monarchical reforms, demanding the removal of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, but curbs on King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s unchecked power. With institutional reforms to the monarchy now the talk of the country, questions should naturally surface about where power lies. What would a diminished monarchy mean for Thailand’s military? These questions are critical for protesters as they formulate potential negotiations – if possible – with authorities. For some observers, it is like the proverbial “chicken or the egg” question, with both options symbiotically linked together. Inseparable.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Can the monarchy survive the Thai Spring?
November 2, 2020

The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13, 2016 marked a substantive shift in public sentiments toward the Thai monarchy. In mourning and in unity, hundreds of thousands of Thais gathered a week later at Sanam Luang Park, to sing the royal anthem, Sansoen Phrai Barami, in close proximity to the Grand Palace, where royal and religious rites had been taking place.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
How Far Will Free Expression Fall Under Thailand’s New Emergency Decree?
October 16, 2020

After whirlwind protests that saw thousands of people take to the streets of Bangkok on Tuesday, Oct. 14, the next morning saw the Royal Thai government issue a “severe” emergency decree while at the same time arresting more than 20 people, including Anon Nampa, a human rights lawyer and one of the leaders of the student-led anti-government protesters on charges of sedition. Under the new emergency decree, gatherings of more than five people have been banned, and the publication of news and information that “could create fear” or “affect national security.”


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
The art of political jiu-jitsu and Thailand’s student revolution
October 2, 2020

After several major protests in Bangkok, authorities have practiced a degree of restraint, despite the dismantling of a long-held social taboo of voicing public criticism of Thailand’s once-revered monarchy.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
For Thai protestors, even the dying embers of a regime can be dangerous
September 22, 2020

More than 100,000 people demonstrated on the open field at Sanam Luang, in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace in Bangkok over the weekend, defying the military-backed government of Prayuth Chan-o-cha and calling for unprecedented monarchical reforms.