<p>2019 is counted as the year when the arc of Thai politics was most striking since it was a time of transition from the &lsquo;dark era&rsquo; under almost 5 years of the NCPO to the &lsquo;hazy era&rsquo; after the election (which had been postponed 6 times) under the 2017 Constitution whose complicated design locked politics into a multilayered parliamentary system, and the Future Forward Party emerged to strongly challenge the old system.</p>

<p>Seminal historian Thongchai Winichakul argues that Thailand’s many constitutions have progressively torn power from the people to be placed back in the hands of the King — &nbsp;a process seen most clearly in the latest charter.</p> <p></p>

<div>The military prosecutor on Thursday indicted a 74-year-old man for lèse majesté, saying he insulted the King by merely asking questions about the constitutional monarchy. </div>