Thailand's crisis and free speech

[Commentary] It has been a week since the Thai military cracked downed on antigovernment protests in the capital. The current trouble can be traced to competing godfathers who have used their influence and wealth to amass forces designed to pressure the other side into submission. What hasn't been discussed much is why and how the existing Thai political system could be restructured and reformed as a result of social and economic change. Yet the key to ending this bitter struggle is reform. And no party or person has yet offered a successful (and inclusive) reform agenda to make the political process more representative, transparent, and accountable.

The major obstacle to political reform in Thailand is its law of lèse-majesté. All 17 versions of the Thai Constitution since 1932 contain the clause, "The King shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated. No person shall expose the King to any sort of accusation or action." The Thai criminal code elaborates: "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years." In fact, the law has been applied broadly to intimidate and - where expedient, to imprison - critics of the current political system. That presents a significant problem: It becomes impossible to talk about political reform. There can be no open, frank, and direct exchange of views on how to politically deal with the monarchy as an institution. And without that ability to speak freely, reform becomes near impossible.