Thailand: Former PM Hopeful Gets Suspended Sentence

Facts

• A court in Thailand on Monday delivered a four-month jail sentence, which has been suspended for two years, and an 11.2K baht ($315) fine to the Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat over a 2019 protest held in Bangkok.¹
• In addition to Limjaroenrat — the former prime ministerial candidate who led his party to an overwhelming election win last year — seven other prominent political activists have also been handed similar sentences and a fine of 22K baht ($620) each for their role in the rally.²
• Prosecutors charged the defendants with multiple offenses, including staging a flash mob protest close to a palace without prior permission and disrupting the operations and services of the BTS train system.³
• The sentences have been suspended, as Pita and his co-defendants had no previous jail sentences and were found guilty of a non-severe crime. The eight opposition leaders are expected to appeal against the verdict because they claim the rally's distance from the palace was more than 150 meters.⁴
• Pita, who was only recently reinstated as a member of parliament, could be disqualified from parliament if his appeal is dismissed, as Thai law bans people convicted of serious crimes from holding parliamentary seats.⁵
• Move Forward now faces the prospect of meeting the same fate of its predecessor, the popular reformist Future Forward, as several complaints seeking its dissolution have been filed after the Constitutional Court ruled that its pledge to amend the royal defamation law is unconstitutional.⁶

Sources: ¹Nikkei Asia, ²Nationthailand, ³Thaipbsworld, ⁴Bangkokpost, ⁵Guardian and ⁶Dw.Com.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by สำนักข่าวไทย อสมท. Pita and his political allies have finally been handed their well-deserved sentence for violating the law and creating chaos in Bangkok with their 2019 flash mob protest. Though some may try and distract from this actions with a focus on their ideologies, this verdict is apolitical, as all charges against them are factual.
• Narrative B, as provided by Prachatai English. Protesters must be held accountable if their actions infringe on fellow citizens' freedom despite peaceful assembly being part of democracy. However, Monday's ruling is unfair, as the court failed to consider that the distance between the protest and the palace was measured incorrectly.

Predictions