Thai Protesters Cover Democracy Monument To Protest Anti-Defamation Law

Bangkok’s Democracy Monument was the epicenter of protests against the royal lèse-majorité law on February 13th (Creative Commons).

Thai pro-democracy protesters draped a massive red cloth over the Democracy Monument in Bangkok during a scuffle with police on February 13. The demonstration was part of a larger wave of protests against the kingdom’s anti-defamation laws.

These demonstrations, which have occurred in waves since last July, center around the implementation of Section 112 of Thai criminal code, a lèse-majesté law that threatens three to 15 years of jail time for anyone who defames Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn or the rest of the royal family. 

The recent protests arose after the detention of and subsequent denial of bail for four activist leaders on February 8, who were arrested under the very lèse-majesté law they were protesting. The law has been used to arrest at least 58 people since November 2020. Most controversially, on January 18, 2021, a Thai court used the criminal code to sentence 65 year-old Anchan Preelert to 43 years in prison on 29 separate counts of defamatory language.

Following these developments, Thai activists and protesters reconvened at the Democracy Monument, draping a large red cloth over it—red to represent the spilled blood of those who fought for freedom—and arranging flower pots at the base of the shrine to spell out “112.” The peaceful protest escalated when the police arrived, leading some protesters to throw paint at them and attempt to break their barricade of the Royal Palace. Police responded by detaining seven protesters and beating a medical volunteer.

Local protesters expressed indignation and determination.

“Today, we are gathering here to start our first fight after the system of injustice took away our friends,” said Panupong “Mike” Jadnok, a local leader of the protests. He went on to clarify: “I want to stress the purpose of today’s rally is to call for 112 to be abolished.”

Another protester, Chutima Kaenpetch, expanded upon the demands: “We want Article 112 to be revoked plus the release of four of our leaders and other political prisoners convicted by this law.”

While some despair at the apparent doubling-down of crackdowns, others, like Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, see the rise in activism among the Thai youth as a sign that the tides are turning against the near-unassailable authority of the royal family: “We’ve come a long way since the taboo was smashed, I never thought that the monarchy would become a public discussion in such a short period of time.”