Monday, January 20, 2020

Anti-establishment Thai party survives first dissolution bid

Issued on: 21/01/2020 


Bangkok (AFP)

A stridently anti-military Thai party survived a first legal attempt to disband it Tuesday over alleged sedition -- including links to the Illuminati, a secret group conspiracy theorists say is seeking global domination.

The Constitutional Court ruled Future Forward -- a pro-democracy party which vehemently opposes the army-aligned establishment -- had not shown any intent to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.

Dismissing the charge, a judge on the nine-member bench said there was no sign key executives and the party "had taken actions against the constitutional monarchy".

The ruling sparked jubiliation at party headquarters, with supporters cheering "long live democracy" and "hell to dictatorship".

But FFP -- Thailand's third largest party which draws on a deep well of youth support -- still faces further threats of dissolution.

It is loathed by the pro-military establishment for its criticism of the army's role in politics and for pushing policies such as an end to conscription and a cut in defence spending.

The same court is still considering a second charge over alleged illegal loans by its charismatic billionaire founder Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, who also faces a barrage of cases against him.

"We believe those cases are politically motivated," Thanathorn said to cheers at a press conference after the ruling.

He vowed to push for amendments to the 2017 army-scripted constitution, which analysts say tilted last year's election in the favour of military-backed parties.

Calling an end to the "legal war" against Future Forward, secretary general Pitabutr Saengkanokkul said dissolving parties was "not useful to Thailand's democracy".

Thailand's recent political history has been shaped by the courts, which routinely abolish parties and unseats premiers in what critics say are politically motivated cases.

The kingdom has disbanded five parties since 2007 -- a move that "kicks out political talent", analyst Thitnan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University told AFP.

The court considered allegations that speeches by senior FFP members were seditious, as well as a spurious claim the party was linked to the Illuminati, a secret society whose existence has never seriously been proven.

That part of the complaint centered on whether the party logo -- an upside-down triangle -- resembled the symbol of the alleged republican-leaning group traced back to 18th-century Europe.

Thailand's ultra-wealthy monarchy is at the apex of power and is buttressed by harsh royal defamation laws and the backing of the army.

The kingdom remains in a political quagmire with the country split over the arch-royalist government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former army chief who seized power in a 2014 coup.

Newly formed Future Forward only came onto Thailand's political scene in 2018, drawing the support of millions of mostly young Thais weary of pro-establishment forces in government.

burs-apj/dhc/fox

© 2020 AFP

Thai court acquits opposition party of attempting to overthrow monarchy

Issued on: 21/01/2020 

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit (C), leader of the opposition Future Forward party, sits with party officials at their headquarters in Bangkok on January 21, 2020, to watch the ruling by Thailand's Constitutional Court on whether the party carried out "actions" against the constitutional monarchy. AFP - ROMEO GACAD

Text by:NEWS WIRES

Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday acquitted the country’s third-biggest political party of seeking the overthrow of the country’s constitutional monarchy, a case that had highlighted ongoing political divisions in the Southeast Asian nation.

The court ruled that the Future Forward Party showed no intention of committing the offense, and that the complaint had not been filed according to the correct legal procedure.

The party still faces the threat of dissolution under another pending charge of breaking election laws by taking a large loan from its leader. The party was founded in 2018 during military rule, and takes progressive positions that are anathema to Thailand’s royalist ruling elite.

The party’s surprising finish in an election last year and its popularity among young people rattled the government, which is led by the same people who staged a military coup in 2014.

The case drew special attention because the complaint had sought to link the party to the mythical conspiracy own as the Illuminati, which is alleged to be an elite organization seeking world domination.

The complaint, filed last year by lawyer Natthaporn Toprayoon, listed statements by party officials supposedly critical of Thai traditions, and pointed out that its logo is an inverted triangle, which if turned right-side up resembles the alleged symbol of the Illuminati. It claimed the Illuminati had sought to overthrow European monarchies and influence the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

The case was one of a series filed against the party and its leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkrit. In November, the Constitutional Court stripped Thanathorn of his lawmaker status, ruling that he violated a regulation on media ownership.

Critical of the military

There is a widespread belief that one way or another, the party will end up being disbanded, with its leaders banned from political office for several years.

The party has taken positions explicitly critical of the military for its interference in politics. It also seeks to amend the constitution, drafted after the 2014 coup, to make it more democratic.

The party’s initial support came from youth and young professionals, but it proved to have wider appeal in many parts of the country.

The army staged coups in 2006 and 2014, allowing an election last March after five years of military rule. While in power, it amended the constitution and other laws to try to ensure that pro-democracy parties could not take power.

The military and the courts are the two main pillars of the Thai establishment, and have consistently acted to curb threats to the status quo.

The court’s ruling on Tuesday ordered Future Forward to revise its regulations to be clearer in order to comply with the constitution’s stating that any political party must not oppose the constitutional monarchy.

The opposition party’s popularity was underlined last month when several thousand of its supporters rallied in Bangkok, the nation’s capital, in one of the largest political demonstrations since the 2014 coup.

“I think it shows that people will not tolerate dictatorship anymore,” Thanathorn said at the time of the large turnout.

(AP)


Thai court acquits opposition party of opposing monarchy

The ruling means major Thai opposition Future Forward Party will not be banned on charges of sedition. However, the party still faces several more legal challenges that could yet see it dissolved.


THE KING IS WEARING A COWBOY HAT OZZIE STYLE

Thailand's Constitutional Court on Tuesday found the opposition Future Forward Party not guilty of seeking to overthrow the monarchy.

The party, led by Thanathon Juangroongruangkrit, showed no intention of committing the offense, the court ruled.

The court did find that the party should revise the wording in its constitution so it clearly states it does not oppose the constitutional monarchy.

"This should not have been a case in the first place. I would like to stress that neither Thanathorn, myself, nor the party, want to undermine the constitutional monarchy," said Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, the party's secretary-general.

Lawyer alleged Future Forward violated the constitution

The case was brought by lawyer Natthaporn Toprayoon who charged the leaders of the party in July 2019 with violating section 49 of the constitution. This section forbids actions seeking to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.

He also charged that the party had links to the Illuminati due to a symbol in its logo.

"I have no intention of wanting to see the party disbanded," said Natthaporn before the court ruling.

"I want people to recognize that we are all Thais and we should protect the monarchy because we are able to live today because of the monarchy" he added.

However, the party could still be banned under another pending charge of breaking election laws by taking a loan from its leader.

Read more: Opinion: Thailand's democratic dictatorship

What is the Future Foward Party?

The progressive party was formed in 2018 on a platform calling for an end to the military's influence on Thai politics, including seeking to reform the constitution which was drafted after a military coup in 2014. Future Forward came third in national elections last year, winning 6.2 million votes from a mainly younger electorate.

Its leader, the auto-parts billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkrit is facing a number of allegations, including that Future Forward Party accepted loans from Thanathorn, breaking electoral laws governing party funding.

The Constitutional Court also disqualified Thanathorn from acting as lawmaker last year, ruling he violated a regulation on media ownership.

Read more: Thailand election highlights a divided society

kmm/rt (Reuters, dpa, AP)

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