at least six others involved in the play for allegedly violating “112” — the feared section of the Thai criminal code that contains one of the world’s most draconian royal defamation laws.
Of those on the wanted list, at least two have fled Thailand, joining dozens of academics, activists and political opponents of the junta in self-imposed exile since the coup.
According to the Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) at least 40 people have been arrested since the takeover — nine of them sentenced to between two and 15 years in prison.
Critics say the lese majeste law has been used as a tool to suppress political dissent, noting many of those charged have been linked to the opposition Red Shirt movement.
Rights activists as well as the media are forced to censor discussion of cases since even repeating details of charges risks breaking the law.
“The Wolf Bride” case is just one of many driven through by the junta in recent months.
“The junta is using the law to bolster its legitimacy with the Thai people,” said Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of South East Asian Affairs in Chiang Mai.
Previous administrations including that of ousted premier Yingluck Shinawatra have also used the legislation in this way, but the junta has been “even stronger” in asserting its “obedience to the monarchy” through the crackdown, he added.
Andrea Giorgetta from FIDH also said the junta was drawing legitimacy through the monarchy and that the surge in lese majeste cases looked set to continue.
“We’re expecting a lot more people to go to jail in the next month. Almost all cases have been backdated for alleged offences before the coup,” he told AFP. “It’s a very grim situation for rights in Thailand.”
Analysts say the most recent chapter of Thailand’s long-drawn political turmoil is fuelled by anxieties over who will run the country when the more than six-decade reign of the world’s longest-serving monarch eventually ends.
Other recent “112” convictions include a taxi driver jailed for two and a half years after his passenger recorded their conversation on a mobile phone, while a student was sentenced to the same period of time for defaming the monarchy in a message posted on Facebook.