Accused by its detractors of having tried to overthrow the Thai monarchy, Future Forward ("Forward), one of the main opposition parties in the country, escaped dissolution, Tuesday, January 21, fault" dependent item ".
"There is no evidence" showing that key leaders of the movement "have brought actions against the monarchy," concluded the Constitutional Court hearing the case.
The Thai monarchy is protected by one of the strictest anti-defamation laws in the world and enjoys the unwavering support of the military and economic elite, as well as that of the population.
Critics of the opposition party had relied on allegedly anti-monarchy speeches by officials of Future Forward. They had also put forward the party logo, an inverted triangle, believing that it was close to the symbol of the Brotherhood of the Illuminati, an alleged secret society working for the advent of the new world order.
Led by a charismatic billionaire, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the party is, with its calls for the end of conscription and the reduction of defense budgets, in the crosshairs of the military who still hold the reins of the country. Very popular with young people, the party leader is the target of constant attacks by the judicial authorities.
Training remains threatened with ban
And the country's third political force, which garnered more than 6 million votes in the 2019 legislative elections, risks dissolution in a third dossier: an alleged case of illegal loans allegedly granted by the businessman to his movement. "There is still a long way to go," Nalutporn Krariksh, one of his supporters, told AFP.
In another proceeding, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, 41, was stripped of his parliamentary mandate after being accused of having held shares in a press organ during the electoral campaign. Amnesty International on Tuesday called on "the Thai authorities to stop using the judicial process to intimidate and harass the leaders and members of Future Forward".
A possible dissolution of the party could anger voters. Thousands rallied to Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit in demonstrations of support in December and January, the largest rallies since the 2014 coup that placed a military junta in power, led by General Prayut Chan-O-Cha.
The latter, thanks to the support of a Senate appointed entirely by the military, has been at the head of the civil government since the legislative elections of 2019, but he only has a small parliamentary majority.
With AFP
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