A10| Tuesday, December 1, 2020 ** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
WORLD WATCH WORLD NEWS
THAILANDProtesters Face
Rarely Used LawOver the past few months,
Thai pro-democracy activist Parit
Chiwarak has been in and out of
police stations fighting criminal
charges that range from unlawful
assembly to sedition. On Monday,
he appeared before police to face
his most daunting legal challenge
yet: lèse-majesté.
Mr. Parit, 22 years old, is one
of at least five activists accused
of defaming the monarchy, an of-
fense that could carry punishment
of up to 15 years in prison. The
cases filed against them are the
harshest to date involving the
leaders of the pro-democracy
movement that has brought un-
precedented scrutiny to the na-
tion’s powerful throne this year.
Lèse-majesté outlaws any per-
ceived insult to the royal family.
Its use against Mr. Parit and other
activists marked its first formal
application in two years, signaling
a shift toward stricter action to
curb the youth-led protests. Many
of the young demonstrators have
openly opposed the throne—ac-
tions once considered socially ta-
boo in addition to being legally
risky—as well the country’s royal-
ist-military elite that, they say, is
holding back democratic progress.
Since the protests began ear-
lier this year, authorities had re-
frained from applying the lèse-majesté law. That approach has
changed.
Mr. Parit and the other four
defendants reported to police on
Monday to acknowledge the com-
plaints against them, setting an
investigation in motion. At least
three others have been informed
that they will face a similar fate,
according to the legal aid group
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
None have been arrested.
Thailand is technically a consti-
tutional monarchy in which the
king is intended to perform cere-
monial duties while an elected
government governs the country.
But activists and political analysts
say the palace is a key political
actor and remains unaccountable
to the people. King Maha Vajiral-
ongkorn, who succeeded his
widely revered father in 2016, is
seen by protesters as an absen-
tee leader who spends most of
his time in Germany.
Activists have become increas-
ingly outspoken about the king’s
enormous wealth, calling for curbs
on his control of palace finances
and of two units of the military
that the king brought under his
direct command.
Mr. Parit said the allegations
against him relate to speeches he
gave at two protests—one in Sep-
tember and another in Novem-
ber—in which he raised questions
about the palace’s financial assets.
The palace hasn’t commented
on the protests or the charges.
—Feliz SolomonNEW ZEALANDCharges Filed Over
Fatal Volcano ToursNew Zealand’s workplace-
safety regulator filed charges
against 13 parties after a probe
into a volcanic eruption that
killed 22 people last year.
The eruption on White Island
came without warning on Dec. 9
when 47 people were onshore.
The majority of those killed
were tourists, raising questions
about the safety of adventure
tourism after a series of other
mishaps. Some scientists sug-
gested tourists shouldn’t have
been allowed on the island be-
cause of the danger the volcano
posed. Tours to the island have
been suspended.
—James HookwayBRAZILBolsonaro Suffers
Mayoral-Vote LossesPresident Jair Bolsonaro suf-
fered big losses in just-com-
pleted municipal elections, with
only five mayoral candidates he
supported winning and none in
the most important cities.
The president’s worst rebuff
came in his hometown of Rio de
Janeiro, where Mayor Marcelo
Crivella was battered in a runoff
election Sunday, losing to his
center-right predecessor, EduardoPaes, by 64% to 36%. Mr. Crivella,
an evangelical pastor, repeatedly
used the president in his cam-
paign to try to turn his fortunes.
—Associated PressUNITED KINGDOMScottish Leader Seeks
Independence VoteScotland’s leader said she
hopes to hold an independence
referendum as soon as next
year, setting up a political show-
down with a U.K. government
that refuses to countenance an-
other secession vote.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
said she would campaign in the
May 2021 Scottish Parliament
election for a mandate to hold a
vote on independence “in the
early part of the new parlia-
ment,” from 2021 to 2025.
Addressing her Scottish Na-
tional Party, Ms. Sturgeon said
Scotland had a right to choose
independence, “if a majority of
us want it.” Scotland voted to
remain in the U.K. in a 2014 in-
dependence referendum.
A new binding referendum re-
quires the U.K. government’s ap-
proval. Prime Minister Boris
Johnson insists he’ll say no.
Recent opinion polls suggest
a majority of Scots now favor
independence, with Brexit and
the pandemic boosting support
for Scotland going its own way.
—Associated PressPro-democracy activist Parit Chiwarak arriving at a Bangkok police station Monday to acknowledge lèse-majesté accusations. At least
five activists are accused of defaming the monarchy, an offense punishable with up to 15 years in prison.MLADEN ANTONOV/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
lomats have turned to fiery lan-
guage to assert Beijing’s
interests over the past year, a
new attitude that critics and
supporters alike have labeled
“wolf warrior” diplomacy.
Australia drew China’s an-
ger in April when it sought
support from European lead-
ers to investigate whether Bei-
jing’s early response to the
coronavirus contributed to the
pandemic. China responded
with punitive tariffs on im-
ports of Australian barley, and
on Friday imposed duties on
Australian wine. In recent
months it has also put restric-
tions on a variety of exports.
This pressure on a U.S. ally
has brought a response from
officials in the Trump admin-
istration. They are seeking
new measures against Beijing,
including the creation of an
informal alliance of Western
nations to jointly retaliate
when China uses its trading
power to coerce countries, ad-ministration officials say.
“I think it will only rein-
force the view that Australia is
right at the coal face of this
Chinese rhetorical and eco-
nomic coercion,” said James
Curran, a professor of foreign
policy at the University of
Sydney. “It will continue to
rally allies to stand alongside
Australia, while it will con-
tinue to feed Chinese sensitiv-
ity about being ganged up on,
creating a vicious cycle.”
Mr. Morrison called on Bei-
jing to resume talks with his
government to defuse ten-
sions, including on trade.SYDNEY—The picture was
shocking: an Australian soldier
apparently holding a knife to
the throat of an Afghan child.
Just as appalling for Austra-
lia’s government, which said
the image was doctored, was
that it was tweeted by a Chi-
nese Foreign Ministry spokes-
man to his more than 780,
followers.
The photo, with a caption
saying, “Don’t be afraid, we
are coming to bring you
peace!,” was posted on the
Twitter account of Foreign
Ministry spokesman Zhao Li-
jian and is the latest example
of a combative approach by
China’s once low-key diplo-
mats. Relations between China
and Australia have worsened
since Australia called for an
investigation into the origins
of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Australia is seeking an
apology from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, from the Chi-
nese Government, for this out-
rageous post,” said Australian
Prime Minister Scott Morri-
son. “We are also seeking its
removal immediately.”
A different Chinese Foreign
Ministry representative de-
flected the request for an apol-
ogy at a regular news briefing
on Monday, instead focusing on
an Australian inquiry that con-
cluded the country’s forces
were responsible for unlawful
deaths in Afghanistan.
Earlier in November, an in-
vestigation by the Inspector-
General of the Australian De-
fence Force found credible
information that Australian
special forces were responsi-
ble for the unlawful killing of
39 prisoners, farmers and
other civilians, and the cruel
treatment of two others, in Af-
ghanistan from 2009 to 2013.
As Chinese leader Xi Jinping
pursues a more aggressive for-
eign policy, some Chinese dip-BYDAVIDWINNINGChinese Diplomat
Angers Australia
With Twitter Post
Thepressureonan
American ally has
brought a response
from the U.S.DawnCappelli
VP,GlobalSecurity
andCISO
RockwellAutomationRajSamani
ChiefScientistand
McAfeeFellow
McAfeeHelenDixon
DataProtection
Commissioner
IrelandHughThompson
ManagingPartner
CrosspointCapital
PartnersBobbyFord
VicePresident
andCISO
UnileverChristineWheaton
ChiefInformationPrivacy
andSecurityOficer
HenryFordHealthSystemAnneMarieZettlemoyer
VP,SecurityEngineering
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