Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa imprisoned after calling for reform of country’s strict lese-majesty law

A prominent pro-democracy activist has been sentenced to four years in prison for a speech he delivered during protests calling for reform of Thailand’s powerful monarchy.

Arnon Nampa, a human rights lawyer, was at the forefront of a protest movement that erupted in 2020, when hundreds of thousands of people, many of them young students, took to the streets to call for democratic changes, including to the role of monarchy.

New York-based Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse signals he rejects Thailand’s harsh lese majeste laws, which ban criticism of the royal family

An estranged son of Thailand’s king who has spent almost all his adult life away from his homeland has unexpectedly gone public with his belief that open discussions about the country’s monarchy should be allowed, in a rejection of a harsh royal anti-defamation law.

Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, one of the king’s five sons, posted his opinion on Facebook after attending a photo exhibition in New York about people who have been charged under the law, Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code.

Reappearance of Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse raises questions over succession

The estranged second son of Thailand’s king has returned to Bangkok for the first time in almost three decades, in an unannounced visit that surprised many and raised questions about the succession plan.

Footage of Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse making what appeared to be a low-key arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday, and visiting sites in the capital, was shared widely on social media.

More than 100 injured and hundreds of homes reportedly damaged near border with Malaysia

An explosion has ripped through a firework warehouse in Thailand , killing nine people and injuring more than 100, a senior official has said.

The blast in the town of Sungai Kolok, in the southern province of Narathiwat, on Saturday is thought to have been caused by welding during construction work on the building.

Young pro-reform candidate won over many in the electorate – but not military appointees who blocked him from being PM

After almost a decade of rule by the former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, many voters in the recent Thai election longed for change. More than 14 million turned to pro-reform politician Pita Limjaroenrat and his party Move Forward.

Pita, aged 42, is far younger than most politicians in Thailand, and he and his party were able to use social media to reach new voters.

Court suspends Move Forward’s Pita Limjaroenrat from parliament as rivals vote against him taking office

The leader of Thailand’s pro-reform party has had his final attempt to become prime minister blocked by military royalist opponents, as a court suspended him from parliament.

Pita Limjaroenrat’s Move Forward party won the most votes in May’s election after promising bold changes to remove the military from politics and overhaul a law that shields the powerful monarchy from criticism. But the party is strongly opposed by the conservative establishment and has faced significant challenges in trying to take power.

Pita Limjaroenrat fails to get parliamentary backing required to take office but can run again

The leader of Thailand’s pro-reform party has been blocked from taking power by a parliamentary vote that includes military-appointed senators despite winning the most seats in the election in May.

Pita Limjaroenrat’s progressive Move Forward party, which campaigned on a promise of change after nine years of rule by a former army chief, gained the most votes two months ago, but election rules rewritten after a military coup in 2014 require him to have majority support from parliament to become prime minister.

Prayuth Chan-ocha announces resignation after his party suffered a humiliating defeat in May election

The Thai prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has said he will retire from politics, more than nine years after the former army general seized power in a military coup.

In May, his party suffered a humiliating defeat, coming fifth, well behind an upstart opposition party that promised to remove the military from politics. He will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.