Bangkok: Thailand’s top court on Wednesday dissolved the opposition Move Forward Party, a year after the progressive movement won parliamentary elections in the south-east Asian country.
The Constitutional Court in Bangkok outlawed the party, with former party leader Pita Limjaroenrat and other leading figures banned from holding office for a period of 10 years.
Local media reported that the court’s motive was Move Forward’s opposition to the Thai monarchy. The court investigated the party after a complaint by the electoral commission that Move Forward may have acted unconstitutionally by calling for strict restrictions on criticism of the monarchy to be loosened.
The decision came as no surprise to political observers, nor the party itself. In recent days, Move Forward posted a video on Facebook saying “the dissolution of a political party can only bring down a legal organization, but it can never silence an ideology.” (DPA)
