Thai opposition politicians charged on eve of coup anniversary

Three politicians from the party ousted by Thailand’s generals were charged on Monday with sedition, as dissent grows before the fourth anniversary of the junta’s 2014 coup.

The military filed a case after senior Puea Thai party figures railed against the coup organisers at a press conference last week, blasting the generals for repeatedly breaking promises to restore democracy.

The party supports former premiers Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck, whose elected governments were both toppled by coups but who remain popular among many rural Thais despite both living in exile to avoid jail time for corruption.

The military now says it will allow elections in February but has refused to lift its ban on political gatherings of more than five people.

But critics are increasingly testing the limits of the ban, which they say is intended to give the generals time to build a political coalition before the vote without any public debate.