<p>When protesters and members of the public again raised the issue of amending the lèse majesté law in November, political parties and affiliated think tanks responded in different ways.</p>

<p>This month marks the tenth anniversary of the killings of the red shirt protesters. Thai Political Slang Explained explores a word which justified the 2010 crackdown and, in a forthcoming second part,&nbsp; how it changed meaning in an unexpected twist to become a pejorative nickname of the Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army.</p>

<div> <div>A rock singer’s charity campaign has sparked debate over the ethics of donations, while a senior academic is facing a lèse majesté lawsuit for criticising King Naresuan, who ruled the kingdom of Ayutthaya 400 years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Thailand’s lèse majesté law is notorious for its excessive punishments and broad interpretations. </div></div>

<p dir="ltr">The former fugitive Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has threatened to take legal actions against those accusing him of royal defamation.</p> <p>The former PM wrote on his twitter account on 9 October 2017 that he felt ‘extremely uncomfortable’ about the recent statement of Khemchai Chutiwongse, the Attorney General, that he will be indicted under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the &nbsp;lèse majesté law.</p>

<p>After five years of legal struggle, a court has confirmed a ban on a film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’, which touches on sensitive historical topics.</p> <p>On 11 August 2017, the Administrative Court maintained a ban on ‘Shakespeare Must Die’, a political film with references to the 6 October 1976 student massacre and the political violence during the red shirt demonstrations in 2009.</p> <p>The leading character of the movie, called ‘Dear Leader’, is believed to be based on the controversial former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<div> <div>Thaksin Shinawatra has urged Thailand’s ruling junta to stop blaming him for political violence, adding he wants no place in the military government’s ongoing reconciliation efforts.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 31 March 2017, the exiled former Prime Minister condemned the junta <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thaksinofficial/?fref=nf&amp;pnref=story">on his Facebook page</a> for its failure to handle the country’s economy. </div></div>

<div><img alt="" src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/142881/width926/image-20161024-28409-114n5bi.jpg" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span>Under military rule, social order is attained at the expense of economic growth while elected governments usually lead to political turmoil. </span></div>

<p dir="ltr">Thailand&rsquo;s political landscape seems haunted by figures, events and images that once symbolised progressive change. Such change arguably has not come, yet the same symbols linger on, in newspapers, activist pamphlets and state media.</p>

<p>Junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha today accused the de facto leader of the Redshirt movement of plotting the recent resumption of public protests against his military regime.</p>