A Thai court ruled on Wednesday that three anti-government activists who had called for reform of the country’s powerful monarchy had violated the constitution by making what it called a veiled attempt to overthrow the institution.
The Constitutional Court, ruling in a case brought by a royalist lawyer, said a controversial 10-point call for reforms of the institution by three student protest leaders in August last year was designed to topple the monarchy.
“The actions have hidden intentions to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and were not a call for reform,” a court judge said.
The court was ruling on the constitutionality of their reform call and imposed no penalty but ordered them and their groups “to cease further action in these matters”.
The role of the monarchy is a taboo topic in Thailand, where the palace is officially above politics and constitutionally…
