The ultra-royalist Thai Pakdee Party, known for its staunch opposition to amending the lese majeste law, has released a statement urging conservative parties joining the Pheu Thai coalition to resist a total rewrite of the constitution on the grounds that it would lead to greater discord in the society.

Parties that previously agreed not to collaborate with any group advocating the amendment of Article 112 were called upon to clearly stipulate that the process of amending the constitution by the PTP should leave Sections 1 and 2 of the constitution intact and focus solely on addressing problematic individual articles.

Thai Pakdee asserts that this condition would thwart any attempts by ill-intentioned political groups to exploit the process to undermine the wellbeing of the monarchy and create division in the country.

“Participating in a PTP-led government without conditions could open the way for a comprehensive revision of the constitution … by a Constitution-Drafting Assembly originating from the electoral process. This could result in greater discord in Thai society than MFP’s proposed amendment of Article 112,” the statement reads.

In its statement, the party accused iLaw, a non-profit human rights advocacy group, of receiving funding and support from foreign entities and the MFP to campaign for a constitutional rewrite. The party contends that the campaign could eventually lead to the amendment of Articles 1 and 2, undermining the stability of the monarchy and the nation.