At the height of the democratic protests in Thailand, young activists staged a fake cheesy fashion show People’s Catwalk on a street in Silom, a Bangkok neighborhood known as the center of gay nightlife.
One of the models who glided down the red carpet on October 29, 2020 was Sainam, 16, wearing a black crop top, a gym piece that King Maha Vajiralongkorn was photographed wearing during his stays in Germany and Switzerland.
The People’s Catwalk was supposed to be a satirical taunt of the king’s daughter, Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, a fashion stylist who was hosting a show on the same night in another part of Bangkok.
It was one of many demonstrations organized in the second half of 2020, as young protesters made history in Thailand, demanding limits on the power of the king, whose role at the top of the constitutional order is rarely contested in public. The activists were testing the limits of the kingdom’s harsh lese majesty law, which makes it a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison to “defame, insult or threaten” members of the royal family.
Just over a year later, Sainam — his lawyers do not disclose his surname because of his age — is one of dozens of people accused of lèse majesté by the fashion show and another incident in which he was accused of spray-painting a portrait of the king.
Jatuphon Saeung, 22, a participant in the parade, was indicted after posing in a pink suit and clutch bag that resembled those worn by the king’s wife, Queen Suthida.
The charges are part of a crackdown on political dissent and free expression in Thailand on a scale not seen in years, and which has increased in recent months, according to human rights groups. Since November, Thailand’s Constitutional Court has effectively banned debate on reforming the monarchy, and the country’s communications authority has warned the media not to comment on the matter.
Authorities denied bail to some activists and revoked the passports of others. The government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a monarchist and backed by the military, has passed a bill on non-governmental organizations that could obstruct or prevent civil society groups from working in Thailand, according to Amnesty International.
“The level of oppression has reached a new high,” said Sunai Phasuk, a researcher at Human Rights Watch. “This isn’t just about targeting activists or NGOs, human rights groups or the media; it’s about completely shutting down civic space.”
A government spokesperson said NGO law would need to respect the Constitution and added that they understand the concerns of civic groups, but there is a need for “accountability and transparency” in this sector. The spokesperson did not respond to questions about the lèse majesty lawsuits or media warnings.
The association Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which represents some of the accused, including children, said it had handled 164 cases involving 168 individuals in the last year, the most it had ever dealt with.
“Before we had cases of outstanding people, but not in such large numbers,” said Sirikan Charoensiri, a lawyer for the group. “And the people being accused are young people.”
According to human rights groups and activists, the protests in which protesters wore the short tops appear to have touched a nerve. Seven people, including protest leader Parit Chiwarak, known as “Penguin”, and two 17-year-olds were also charged with lèse majesté after wearing crop tops at another protest in December 2020 at a Bangkok shopping mall.
“It is very difficult to say why this form of clothing could be an insult or defamation of the king,” said Yingcheep Atchanont, director of the Thai NGO iLaw.
In the early years of Vajiralongkorn’s reign, who succeeded his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, in 2016, no charges were made of this crime.
But that changed in 2020, after young activists shocked traditional Thais by demanding Prayuth’s resignation, as well as imposing limits on the monarchy’s power and the taxpayer-funded funds that support it.
In October of that year, protesters marched outside the German embassy in Bangkok to ask that Berlin open an investigation into whether the king was ruling Thailand from German territory.
In addition to their political demands, protest leaders also imitated or mocked royalty in some demonstrations. Penguin donned attire that appeared to mock Queen Suthida and the Queen Mother Sirikit, while protesters wearing crop tops frequently appeared at rallies.
The Thai king is seen in public in his country in special uniforms or in a suit. But photographers captured the monarch, who is a cycling enthusiast, wearing the short top in Europe. Thais widely shared the photos online, although some royalist users claimed the images were forged.
While Thai prosecutors cracking down on alleged royal defamation have not said wearing top-crop is a crime, they have accused the protesters of mocking or insulting the king or other members of the royal family. Protest participants in the shopping center wrote anti-monarchist slogans on their stomachs and backs.
In November, authorities deported Yan Marchal, a Frenchman who had long lived in Thailand, describing him as a danger to the public. Thai-speaking Marchal posted satirical videos in which he mocked Prayuth and other Thai figures, including one in which he comically displayed himself in a crop top and made reference to the king’s long stays in Germany.
“We have been documenting free speech issues for over ten years,” said iLaw’s Yingcheep. “We can say that the last year was the most challenging we’ve ever had.”
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