<p>A billionaire Thai opposition figure was charged Tuesday with defaming the monarchy after he questioned the government's alleged over-reliance on coronavirus vaccines from a company linked to the royal family.</p>.<p>Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, founder of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, posted a video on Facebook in January in which he queried whether Thailand was leaning too heavily on Siam Bioscience for its vaccination campaign.</p>.<p>The company is owned by the Crown Property Bureau, which manages the royal family's multi-billion-dollar fortune.</p>.<p>A Bangkok criminal court on Tuesday charged Thanathorn with lese majeste and a computer crime over that video, but he was defiant.</p>.<p>"It has had a positive result -- encouraging the government to reassess the vaccine policy to manage the Covid-19 situation. There is nothing to worry about," he said outside the court.</p>.<p>"(The police) did not bring up any quotes or anything that was said specifically. It was generally a charge for speaking via Facebook."</p>.<p>Those convicted under Thailand's strict royal defamation laws can face up to 15 years in jail per charge.</p>.<p>Thailand has ordered 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Siam Bioscience plans to manufacture 200 million doses of that vaccine for the kingdom and wider region each year.</p>.<p>Thanathorn's case will return to court on May 7.</p>.<p>Before it was disbanded, his Future Forward Party was Thailand's third-largest, drawing millions of supporters who were attracted to his anti-establishment platform during the 2019 election.</p>.<p>But they were felled by swift legal action, which saw its top executives, including Thanathorn, banned from politics and the party dissolved.</p>.<p>More than 70 people are currently facing royal defamation charges in Thailand including prominent student leaders who kicked off a youth-led pro-democracy movement last July.</p>.<p>Its demonstrations last year attracted tens of thousands at their peak but the movement has slowed in recent months due to a new wave of coronavirus cases.</p>.<p>The protests have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha's government and a rewrite of the military-scripted constitution.</p>.<p>But the most controversial demands have been for reforms to the monarchy, including the abolition of the royal defamation laws.</p>
<p>A billionaire Thai opposition figure was charged Tuesday with defaming the monarchy after he questioned the government's alleged over-reliance on coronavirus vaccines from a company linked to the royal family.</p>.<p>Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, founder of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, posted a video on Facebook in January in which he queried whether Thailand was leaning too heavily on Siam Bioscience for its vaccination campaign.</p>.<p>The company is owned by the Crown Property Bureau, which manages the royal family's multi-billion-dollar fortune.</p>.<p>A Bangkok criminal court on Tuesday charged Thanathorn with lese majeste and a computer crime over that video, but he was defiant.</p>.<p>"It has had a positive result -- encouraging the government to reassess the vaccine policy to manage the Covid-19 situation. There is nothing to worry about," he said outside the court.</p>.<p>"(The police) did not bring up any quotes or anything that was said specifically. It was generally a charge for speaking via Facebook."</p>.<p>Those convicted under Thailand's strict royal defamation laws can face up to 15 years in jail per charge.</p>.<p>Thailand has ordered 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Siam Bioscience plans to manufacture 200 million doses of that vaccine for the kingdom and wider region each year.</p>.<p>Thanathorn's case will return to court on May 7.</p>.<p>Before it was disbanded, his Future Forward Party was Thailand's third-largest, drawing millions of supporters who were attracted to his anti-establishment platform during the 2019 election.</p>.<p>But they were felled by swift legal action, which saw its top executives, including Thanathorn, banned from politics and the party dissolved.</p>.<p>More than 70 people are currently facing royal defamation charges in Thailand including prominent student leaders who kicked off a youth-led pro-democracy movement last July.</p>.<p>Its demonstrations last year attracted tens of thousands at their peak but the movement has slowed in recent months due to a new wave of coronavirus cases.</p>.<p>The protests have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha's government and a rewrite of the military-scripted constitution.</p>.<p>But the most controversial demands have been for reforms to the monarchy, including the abolition of the royal defamation laws.</p>