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6 - A History of the Thai Lèse-Majesté Law

from Part I - Traditional Law and its Modern Resonances

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2021

By
Eugénie Mérieau
Edited by
Andrew Harding  and
Munin Pongsapan
Andrew Harding
Affiliation:
National University of Singapore
Munin Pongsapan
Affiliation:
Thammasat University, Thailand
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Summary

This chapter documents how Thailand’s practice of Sacred Buddhist Kingship builds on the Lèse-majesté Law, with the aim of providing a first analysis of how the dual process of secularization of blasphemy and sacralization of royalty via lèse-majesté throughout Thai modern history worked towards the King’s consolidation of power. In the first part, it will sketch a brief overview of the historical evolution of the Thai lèse-majesté law including its pre-modern antecedents, before turning to an analysis of the law of lèse-majesté as defined by judges and other members of the legal profession in Thailand. In the second part, the chapter turns to a thorough examination of key case-studies from the early 21st century, discussing the judicial procedures of exception implemented to punish and absolve lèse-majesté offenders.

Keywords

Lèse-MajestéLèse-Majesté LawLèse-Majesté OffencesKingSacred KingRoyalRoyal AuthorityRoyaltyJudicial ProcedureThai Monarchy
Type
Chapter
Information
Thai Legal History
From Traditional to Modern Law
 , pp. 77 - 88
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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