April 4, 2019
The leader of the Thai progressive party could face up to 7 years in jail.
Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit claims he has no idea why he’s being accused of sedition, a crime punishable by up to seven years in jail.
A summons warrant from the Phathumwan police station was waiting for the billionaire politician at his Bangkok home when he returned from a caravan tour thanking voters for their support in the election.
The warrant, which carried no details about the reason for the charge, ordered Thanathorn to report to police on April 6.
“I wonder when I committed such a provocative act that could be deemed a national threat,” Thanathorn wrote on Facebook, posting a photo of the warrant.
“What I did over the past year was simply meeting people for the election campaign.”
He speculated that the legal action, which he characterised as “just an old political game”, comes because Future Forward did far better at the polls than most people expected.
“They fear the fact that our policies drew the attention of 6.3 million voters,” he said. “The people supported us without any money incentive or other influence.”