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

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.

With the slapping of lèse-majesté charges against protesters and the use of rubber bullets, the Thai government is bringing back the usual means of repression against the new wave of protests sweeping Bangkok in 2021