Royal motorcade activists to face charges

Tantawan Tuatulanon
Tantawan Tuatulanon

The people who honked their car horn and tried to cut in on a royal motorcade early this month will be charged later this week, the national police chief said on Monday.

On Feb 4, Tantawan Tuatulanon and a colleague from the Thalu Wang (breaking into palace) group allegedly attempted to interrupt the motorcade of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on an expressway in Bangkok, honking their car horn and trying to cut into the middle of the convoy.

Ms Tantawan, 20, is a campaigner against royal motorcades and the disruption they cause. 

She was arrested on March 5, 2022 on charges of violating Section 112 (the lese majeste law) of the Criminal Code by running an opinion poll on Facebook on royal motorcades on Feb 8, 2022, and making a live broadcast on the topic on March 5.

On Feb 8, 2022, she also led an activity in front of Siam Paragon shopping mall, seeking people's opinions on the subject, which resulted in Ms Tantawan being charged with defaming the monarchy.

The group had planned to continue their polling on royal motorcades, but were confronted by royalist opponents on Saturday and there was a brawl at Siam BTS station.



Vocabulary

  • activist: someone who takes part in activities that are intended to achieve political or social change, especially someone who is a member of an organisation - นักกิจกรรม
  • brawl: a rough, noisy, uncontrolled fight - การทะเลาะกัน, การวิวาท
  • campaigner: a person who takes part in organized activities which are intended to change something in society - ผู้ต่อสู้,ผู้รณรงค์,ผู้โฆษณาเผยแพร่
  • charge: to accuse someone officially of committing a crime - ตั้งข้อกล่าวหา
  • colleague (noun): someone who works in the same organisation or department as you do or someone you know who has the same type of job - เพื่อนร่วมงาน
  • convoy: a group of vehicles (or ships) travelling together - ขบวนรถ, ขบวนเรือ
  • defaming: saying or writing something bad about someone that is not true and makes other people have a bad opinion of them - ใส่ร้ายป้ายสี
  • disruption: a situation in which something cannot continue because of a problem - การขัดขวาง, การหยุดชะงัก
  • honk: to make a loud noise using a horn - บีบแตร
  • interrupt: to make something stop for a period of time - ทำให้หยุดชะงัก
  • lese majeste: the crime of offending, threatening or showing disrespect for a member of the royal family - หมิ่นพระบรมเดชานุภาพ
  • monarchy (noun): the king or queen of a country and their family - ราชวงศ์, พระบรมวงศานุวงศ์
  • motorcade: a group of cars traveling with someone very important - ขบวนรถ
  • opponent: someone who disagrees with you or who is competing against you - ผู้ไม่เห็นด้วยกับ, ฝ่ายตรงข้าม
  • poll: an occasion when a lot of people are asked about what they feel about something - การสำรวจความคิดเห็น
  • royalist (adj): giving support to the royal family of a country -
  • violate: to do something that is against a law, rule or agreement - ฝ่าฝืน, ละเมิด
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