Political Crisis in Thailand

The fate of Thailand's new government is perilous. Threats are everywhere. What are the some of the greatest threats for the kingdom today? Is it the economy? Foreign powers? Conflicts between the central government and the regions?

No. According to the Junta, it's Tropico 5 and that one guy who used to be on the Daily Show.

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Something's been bothering me about the monarchy lately. From what I gathered (I'm not Thai myself), the Thai king people love their king and see him as the glue that holds the various ethnic groups together.

So then why do so many people in the government keep using lèse-majeste charges for petty reasons? The junta seems to really like accusing its opponents of lèse-majeste for statements that have very little to do with the monarchy itself. The Wikipedia page also mentions that politicians have used lèse majeste against each other.

That seems like a good way to encourage people to dislike the monarchy. Imagine if you had the following happen to you: 1.) You make a statement that might be read as lèse-majeste if you translate it into Polish and squint your eyes really hard. 2.) you get sent to prison for up to fifteen years. 3.) In that prison, you meet other people who have been arrested for similar reasons. 4.) You spend the next fifteen years in a hellish Thai prison listening to people who have been arrested for similar reasons. 5.) you finally get out of jail.

That seems like a good way to train very radical republicans. So why do so many people keep doing it? And why hasn't the king tried to put a stop to lese-majsest abuse yet?

edited 4th Aug '14 12:47:42 PM by Queekitch

The king is very frail these days. Has been for the last ten years or so. Thats part of the reason there are problems in Thailand, because he is in no shape to keep the factions at bay like he had been doing previously.

As to why the military keeps using it, they'd rather hide behind the monarchy than take the PR hit themselves. It's appeal to patriotism in the worst possible way.

As I said above, if the king were actually to tell the military to cut that shit out, he'd be likely to suddenly come down with health problems and check in to a well-guarded hospital.

What'll be interesting is when His Majesty finally dies, since his son has shown pro-Red leanings but is also held in even less personal esteem than Prince Charles. His heir presumptive is eight years old.

Well considering the current king initially had a regent due to his age, it's not impossible for the same to happen here...

Some advice for tourists on what to do and what not to do when in Bangkok.

I don't see why anyone would bother going to Thailand at this point. Plenty of options in the area not under martial law.

Old man is not bothered by it since he says it's business as usual, just that someone else doing the law and order thing in Bangkok.

Thailand jails two theater actors for insulting the royal family when they did a stage play called the Wolf Bride.

So where is the Thai ex-PM, Yingluck Shinawatra?

Waiting to go on trial for the rice scheme.

One thing she didn't do was abuse her position to campaign for a political party in 2014.

Mmmm. The news does not say specifically but...is she in prison right now, house arrest or something else?

The Thai military junta has shut down a television station aligned with the ousted government.

Saw an article earlier (another computer, can't link it) that said the head of the Democratic party was signalling that the draft constitution was not going to work well.