Twelve organizers of the pro-democracy movement are summoned by the police and could be indicted for lese majesty, a first since the start of the protest which provides for a new rally on Wednesday, November 25 in Bangkok to denounce the opacity of the royal finances.
"Twelve people are summoned on the basis of article 112 of the Penal Code,"
said the Association of Thai Human Rights Lawyers (TLHR).
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The lese majesté law, one of the most severe in the world, punishes up to fifteen years in prison for any insult, criticism, defamation against the king or a member of his family.
It has not been used since 2018.
“What does it mean, that the monarchy has declared all-out war on the people?”
, asked the leader Parit Chiwarak, known as “Penguin”, one of the twelve people targeted, speaking to AFP.
“Such an attitude could attract even more people to the streets,”
he warned.
The pro-democracy movement had initially planned to march Wednesday to the Crown property bureau (CPB), which manages the royal fortune.
To avoid possible clashes with ultraroyalists, he finally decided to gather in front of the offices of the Siam Commercial Bank, one of the largest banks in the kingdom, of which the king is personally one of the main shareholders.
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The protesters are showing themselves more and more virulent towards the royalty of which he calls for an in-depth reform, demanding in particular control over the gigantic royal finances.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn passed a law giving him full power over the CPB.
Previously, the Minister of Finance sat on the board, providing some semblance of government control.
Construction, banking, chemicals, insurance, real estate: the CPB is not required to publish its figures, but analysts estimate that it administers between 30 and 60 billion dollars in assets, which makes the Thai monarchy the one of the richest in the world.
After four months of rallies, tension is mounting in Thailand.
Last week, police used water cannons and tear gas against protesters and six people were shot and wounded, the origin of which remains unknown.
The authorities' response is also intervening on the legal front: since the first rally on July 18, at least 174 people have been indicted for
"illegal participation in a demonstration"
and at least 46 are being prosecuted for
"sedition"
, a punishable crime. to seven years in prison, according to TLHR.