Last week, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul took the stage at a rally to read a manifesto calling for reform of Thailand's politically powerful monarchy — a move that could land her in jail.
Thailand is a country where the monarchy and the military have been locked in a symbiotic relationship for decades and where politicians have often blurred the lines between the government and the crown, using the laws meant to protect the king, known as lese-majeste, to silence political opponents.
The manifesto read by Panusaya calls for revoking those laws, cutting back on public spending on the royal family and countering its influence over Thai politics. It caught the military-backed government of general-turned-prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha by surprise.
"The military government doesn't know how to approach or to address this new kind of threat," says David Streckfuss, author of a book about the Thai monarchy and laws written to shield it from public discussion.
