Thai court dissolves opposition party critical of military rule
Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday dissolved an upstart opposition political party that has challenged the military establishment, finding it guilty of taking an illegal loan from its billionaire founder, Reuters reported.
The dissolution of the Future Forward Party comes less than a year after Thailand held a general election to end five years of military rule and it strengthens the position in parliament of a coalition led by Prime Minister Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former junta leader who took power in a 2014 coup.
Future Forward, led by charismatic auto-parts fortune heir Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, 41, has been sharply critical of military dominance of politics. It surprised many by coming third in the elections last year, winning the support of many young people and 81 of the 500 seats contested in parliament.
The court ruled that the party broke the law by taking a 191.2 million baht ($6.08 million) loan from Thanathorn.