A Hyper-Royalist Parapolitics in Thailand

Abstract

In the years since the 19 September 2006 coup, there has been a resurgence in prosecutions under Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, the measure which criminalizes and provides for harsh penalties for alleged lèse majesté. One of the striking features of recent court decisions in Article 112 cases is that judges have gone beyond the boundaries of law to justify the convictions, and developed a jurisprudence that centres on monarchical heritage. Right-wing citizens have taken similar ideas as a justification to engage in violence against those with whom they disagree. This article develops a framework-hyper-royalist parapolitics-to examine an attack on law activists, a Criminal Court decision, and a Constitutional Court comment which represent this new political form, and to query the broader transformations they signal in the Thai polity. The article concludes with reflections on the framework in light of the 22 May 2014 coup.