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PoliticsThailand

Banned Thai opposition party relaunches with new name

August 9, 2024

The Prachachon, or People's party, will remain an anti-establishment progressive party, its new leader said. The former Move Forward party had won last year's election but was prevented from forming a government.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jH2N
Thai politician Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut
Former tech executive Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut will lead the party after many of its former heads were banned from politics for 10 yearsImage: Chalinee Thirasupa/REUTERS

Thailand's main opposition party relaunched on Friday, with a new name and a new leader two days after the Constitutional Court voted to disband it.

The former Move Forward Party (MFP) will now be known as "Prachachon," or "People's Party" in English, and will be led by tech entrepreneur Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut.

"We will carry on Move Forward's ideology. The mission for me and the party is to create a government for change in 2027," Natthaphong said, referencing the country's next national elections.

Royal insult law 'still problematic'

This is the third iteration of the party, founded initially as Future Forward. It was first ordered to disband in 2020 over alleged campaign financing violations, which triggered nationwide anti-government protests.

The latest allegations against the party revolved around its proposal to weaken draconian lese-majeste laws that ban any criticism of the Thai royal family.

Despite being forced to drop that proposal earlier this year, the Constitutional Court still found that MFP undermined the state by questioning the monarchy.

In statements to reporters, Natthaphong remained defiant about loosening the law known as article 112, which carries punishments of up to 15 years in prison for each perceived insult of the crown.

"We have said we propose to amend article 112 to ensure that this law is not a political tool used to abuse others, but we won't be careless," Natthaphong said.

"I think we will continue to push for the improvement and fixing of this law, which is still problematic."

International outcry against MPF ban

Natthaphong, a former cloud computing executive, was one of 143 MPF lawmakers who survived the ban on the party.

Popular former chief Pita Limjaroenrat and several other party leaders were banned from politics for 10 years.

Pita led the party to victory in 2023, but the MPF's conservative rivals were able to block it from forming a government.

The European Union, United States, United Nations and human rights groups have all blasted the Thai top court's decision as a step backward for democratic freedoms. Thailand was ruled by a military junta from 2014 to 2019, and the military remains influential in politics.

Thailand's Pita Limjaroenrat: 'No intention of treason'

es/ab (AFP, Reuters)