New Age | Thai MP sentenced to two years in prison for insulting monarchy

A Thai court on Monday sentenced an MP from the progressive Move Forward party to two years in prison for insulting the monarchy.

Chonthicha Jaengraew was convicted under Thailand's strict lese majeste laws for a speech she gave at an anti-government protest in 2021.

The MFP won the largest number of seats in last year's general election but was blocked from forming a government by conservative forces opposed to its pledge to reform the royal defamation laws, which protect King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family close to critics.

The court in Thanyaburi, north of Bangkok, reduced the sentence by three years because Chonthicha had cooperated, his lawyer told AFP.

The court released the MP on bail of 150,000 baht ($4,000) pending appeal, the lawyer added.

There has been a surge in charges under lese majeste laws – known in Thailand as “112” after the relevant section of the penal code – since pro-democracy street protests led by young people in 2020.

Another MFP MP was sentenced to six years in prison in December for republishing messages on X, formerly Twitter, deemed insulting to the monarch.

Critics say the royal defamation laws are being misused to stifle legitimate political debate.

Later this week, prosecutors are expected to decide whether to pursue a lese majeste case against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra over comments he made in Seoul in 2015.