Two activists were detained by Thai police on Tuesday on accusations of sedition after they allegedly attempted to obstruct a royal motorcade in the most recent attempt to overthrow the country’s monarchy.
Tantawan Tuatulanon and Nattanon Chaimahabutr were detained in connection with the incident on February 4th, when it was reported by the local media that they attempted to obstruct Princess Sirindhorn, the sister of the monarch, by blaring their automobile horn and swerving into her lane.
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), a human rights organization, the two are also accused of violating the Computer Crimes Act.
In Thai society, King Maha Vajiralongkorn is considered a semi-divine person and is safeguarded by some of the most stringent lese-majeste laws globally.
However, a youth-led protest movement that erupted in 2020 threatened to topple long-standing taboos surrounding discussions about the royal family.
Tantawan, 22, who had previously been charged with lese-majeste, went on a 50-day hunger strike with another activist in 2017 to pressure political parties to support the repeal of the law.
Legal experts and human rights advocates claim that the Computer Crimes Act, as well as other statutes, including the royal defamation statute, are being interpreted so widely that they are being used as a weapon against dissent.
According to TLHR, following the 2020 protests, over 250 people—including protest leaders and at least one elected MP—have been charged with royal insult.
When the Constitutional Court declared last month that the Move Forward Party’s (MFP) election commitment to alter the lese-majeste was illegal, it dealt a severe blow to reformers.
Despite winning the majority of seats in the May election, conservative forces prevented MFP from forming a government, presumably due to its desire to change lese-majeste.
