With all the turmoil in Thailand today, it is interesting to observe that one so-called ‘revered’ institution, the monarchy, has not come out to stop the chaos.
Thai royalists and the royal household often surreptitiously inform the local and foreign media that the King has no political power. But a quick glance at the current constitution reveals the opposite is true.
Junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha stated last May, after he successfully seized power from a democratically-elected government, that the constitution was abrogated; that is except all the articles relating to the monarch and the lese majeste law.
That is to say, the laws concerning the power of the king, his welfare and his protection were left intact and enforceable. These are wide-ranging.