Political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana has urged the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to expedite the filing, with the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, of cases against 44 former Move Forward Party MPs who signed up in support of amending the country’s lèse majesté law (Section 112).
Ruangkrai told the media today that he had sent an urgent letter to the NACC to obtain copies of yesterday’sConstitutional Court’s ruling against the Move Forward party, to be used as evidence in the cases against the 44 MPs, accusing them of alleged gross ethical misconduct.
The now defunct Move Forward party had proposed five draft bills to parliament, seeking amendments to the lèse majesté law.
The most controversial sought to move the lèse majesté offence from the chapter regarding defamation to a new chapter pertaining to the honour of the King, Queen, the Heir Apparent and the Regent.
Ruangkrai said that the Constitutional Court had already ruled that the Move Forward party had tried to overthrow democracy under a constitutional monarchy and to degrade the value of the Monarchy through its continuous campaigning and policy to amend the law.
He claimed that the conduct of the 44 Move Forward MPs was a violation of Section 234 (1) of the Constitution.
Thirayuth Suwankesorn, a lawyer, had previously asked the NACC to assess the conduct of the 44 MPs and was responsible for a petition to the Election Commission, accusing the Move Forward party and its former leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, of attempting to upend democracy under a constitutional monarchy through its campaigning.
On January 31 this year, the Constitutional Court found both Pita and the party guilty and ordered them to cease all activities related to the lèse majesté law.
