Thailand’s Royal Spell Has Been Broken

Picture: Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press

In an article by The New York Times, Pavin Chachavalpongpun examines Thailand’s political trajectory vis-a-vis its long, commanding royal rule.

But in reality what we are seeing is the beginning of the end for the Thai royalty’s once-commanding hold over its subjects, which could mean great change ahead for a traditional kingdom at the center of Southeast Asia. The court decision is not a sign of the strength of the conservative establishment but of its weakness, a last-gasp attempt by the old guard to cling to an outdated status quo despite demands for change by millions of politically literate young Thais.

The Move Forward Party called for several reforms in the run-up to last year’s vote, including a reduction in the entrenched political power of the Thai military, the ruling establishment’s frequent enabler, which has ousted elected governments in several coups over the years. But the party’s main objective was the reform of Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws. Enshrined as Article 112 of the country’s criminal code, they make it a crime to defame certain members of the royal family and are intended to protect the throne’s prerogatives. Many Thais have come to view them as an anachronistic impediment to Thailand’s development as a modern, democratic nation — and a major factor behind its persistent political instability.