Democrats never resorted to lese majeste tactics

Eric Bahrt expressed the belief that the Democrat government took advantage of the coup and used the lese majeste law against its political opponents to cling to power.

As a member of Democrat Party, I feel obliged to correct this impression. The Democrat Party is the oldest political party in Asia, established in 1946. It has never supported any coup, directly or indirectly. In fact it has always been on the other side of the road of the military. 

If you check carefully, you will see that no Democrat government ever brought lese majeste charges against an opposition party. The police and private citizens were the only ones who brought such charges during its tenure in power and they were directed at individuals who committed wrongdoing.

I think Mr Bahrt is mixing up the Democrats and the People’s Democratic Reform Committee led by Suthep Thaugsuban. It was their “Bangkok Shutdown” that gave Prayut Chan-o-cha the justification to oust the corrupt Yingluck government. Suthep and other committee leaders cut their ties with the Democrat Party, and party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva never expressed support for the Suthep committee.

The lese majeste activities of the red shirts were well known, and yet the government at that time took no action. The military government has since clamped down, but Democrats have nothing to do with it.

Westerners might not see that the lese majeste law does not constitute denying anyone’s freedom of expression. Throughout our long history we have regarded the King as our father and our god, and no one has the right to denigrate him. Compare that to Western values, such as the lax American gun laws that have led to so many deaths. 

Borvorn Sripaurya