The largest party in the country’s parliament, the Move Forward Party, was forced to disband and its leaders were banned from politics for 10 years for demanding reforms in a law which makes criticism of the monarchy in any form punishable offense

Wednesday was nothing short of high drama in Thai politics as Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party, was also temporarily suspended from serving as a legislator by the Constitutional Court, just as parliamentarians were debating his eligibility to stand for the prime minister’s post

Kheetanat Wannaboworn of Focus on the Global South, provides insights into the current state of affairs in Thailand following the recent elections.

The Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party emerged as the largest parties in the parliament. However, pro-junta parties still have a better chance of forming the government

Independent candidate Chadchart Sittipunt won the governor’s election, hinting at a decline in the popularity of the incumbent prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

The charges leveled against opposition leader Thanathorn were based on statements he made in January 2021 in a livestream that questioned the vaccine procurement contract and subsidies granted to a pharmaceutical company owned privately by the monarch

A total of 16 activists have received summons for participating in a two-week long protest in Bangkok for land rights and the rights of the Indigenous Bang Kloi community

Pressured over reports of widespread forced labor in Thailand’s prisons, the country’s biggest manufacturer of nets has announced it will withdraw its contracts

After nearly two weeks of protest outside the government offices in Bangkok, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government agreed to halt the controversial Chana Industrial Project until a comprehensive review

The contentious provision that is at the heart of the protests is Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code or the lèse-majesté law which criminalizes a broad range of actions concerning defamation or insult to the monarchy and the larger royal family.

In a ruling during a treason trial of three activists, the Constitutional Court found that demands for monarchy reforms are akin to overthrowing the monarchy. Activists fear the Chan-o-cha government will use the ruling to crackdown on opposition and the ongoing protests

As authorities in Thailand have escalated the political crackdown on activists through prosecutions and lawsuits, civil society groups and progressive movements continue demanding legal changes, accountability, and the release of political detainees