lèse majesté

He was also charged earlier this year with lese majeste, over comments he made nine years ago in exile - a case with potentially serious consequences which may hang over him for years.

The court had said changes to the notoriously harsh lese majeste law was tantamount to calling for the destruction of the constitutional monarchy.

However, the military-appointed senate blocked Move Forward from forming a government over its lese majeste proposals, allowing a 11-party coalition of more conservative parties to take power instead.

Even Move Forward’s very mild proposals for a less severe lese majeste law have led to the party being stripped of its top leaders, just as its previous incarnation Future Forward was four years ago.

And anyone thinking of organising protests similar to those four years ago will know that they too will be subjected to the tough penalties of lese majeste and several other sweeping laws in the Thai criminal code.