Bangkok. The Progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), which won the most seats in Thailand’s election, faces a Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday over the validity of its campaign pledge to reform the state’s strict royal defamation laws.
MFP won the first place in the general election held last May. His promises to reform the Thai military, business monopolies and ‘les-majeste’ laws have led the party to first place in the election, fearing Thailand’s powerful traditionalist elite.
Due to this fear, the leader’s father Limjaroyanarat was prevented from becoming the Prime Minister and the MFP was kept out of the ruling coalition. The father returned to parliament last week after being acquitted of violating the election law.
On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court is expected to hold a hearing on the party’s election promise to reform Thailand’s strict laws protecting King Mahavajiralongkorn and his immediate family from humiliation. The court is expected to issue a ruling at 2:00 p.m. Thai time on a petition filed alleging that the MFP policy is an attempt to overthrow the Thai monarchy.
The court is not expected to order the dissolution of the party, but it could ban the MFP’s lese-majeste reform policy.
Thanathorn Juangrung Ruangkit, the former leader of the MFP’s pioneer Future Forward Party, which was disbanded by the court order, said that the Lesser-Majesty should be prepared for the discussion.
“The system is not a fax paper sent by God. It was written by human hands, so people can amend it,” Thanathorne told reporters on Wednesday. He said, “If MPs cannot amend the law, I think there is something wrong in the country.”
In Thai society, lèse-majeste is a law designed to protect the king from humiliation, and breaking it can lead to up to 15 years in prison. According to critics, the law has been interpreted broadly in recent years to protect the royal family from any form of criticism or ridicule.
Earlier this month, a man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for insulting the monarchy on Facebook. In March last year, a man was sentenced to two years in prison for selling a satirical calendar of rubber ducks.