Protests begin over banning of political opponents in 'quasi dictatorship' Thailand

Protests have started over the banning of political opponents in Thailand due to their attempts to water down controversial Lese Majeste laws.

Pro-democracy activists slammed a 'kangaroo court' decision to dissolve the country's election winner - the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), which won last year's vote but was blocked by a conservative military-backed Senate from power.

The student government of Chulalongkorn University (SGCU) staged a lightning rally at the Pathumwan Skywalk in Bangkok after the Constitutional Court passed the decision on August 7.

The court also banned the MFP's executives, including former leader Pita Limjaroenrat, from entering politics for 10 years, saying the party allegedly violated the constitution by proposing reforms of the country's notorious lese majeste law that prohibited criticism of the monarchy.

The student protesters decried the ruling and signed placard and banners to voice their dissent.

SGCU President Apisit Chavanon said: 'MFP's aim to amend the lese-majesté law was not intended to topple the monarchy. The court's ruling contradicts the will of more than 14 million who supported the party.'

Other student representatives, including the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, also participated in the rally.

Thiraphop Tengprawat of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration said: 'Being a 'legal state' does not merely mean adherence to laws, but involves legal actions that limit state power and prevent rulers from acting arbitrarily. 

'Rather than protecting citizens' rights and liberties, the Constitutional Court has instead expanded state and ruling power within the justice system over the past 20 years.'

The Move Forward Party won the most seats in a national poll in May 15 last year.

However, a junta-appointed cabal of 250 'senators' handpicked from the country's benighted institutions blocked the party from governing - rendering the elections a sham.

The ultra-conservative senators - branded 'dinosaurs' by critics - pledged their loyalty to protecting the monarchy and vowed to prevent the Move Forward party from entering government due to its stance on modernising the state and watering down the Lese Majeste law, which they see as a threat to national security.