'We're going nowhere': Thai opposition figure says court interventions must stop

BANGKOK — Politicians in Thailand must reform the judiciary to prevent interventions that have the country "going around in circles", a recently banned opposition figurehead said, after two big rulings that dissolved his party and dismissed a prime minister.

Pita Limjaroenrat, whose now defunct Move Forward Party was blocked from forming a government in 2023, said a 10-year political ban would not weaken his resolve to lead Thailand and start major reforms, including stopping independent institutions from being politicised.

Thailand has been trapped in a tumultuous two-decade cycle of coups and court rulings that have toppled multiple governments, as part of a power struggle between popularly elected parties and an influential establishment with powerful connections in the military and key institutions.

"It's back to square one and nothing has been achieved for the people," Pita told Reuters, reflecting on upheaval that saw Move Forward dissolved and Srettha Thavisin dismissed as premier in the space of a week, both by the same court.

"We confuse movement with progress," he said. "It's almost like we're going around in circles and we're thinking we're going somewhere but actually we're going nowhere."

His remarks came as 134 Thai academics and legal experts in a statement criticised the court, which they said overstepped its jurisdiction and damaged the public's trust in legal and democratic systems.

Pita will return to Harvard University as a democracy fellow following his ban over his party's plan to amend a law that punishes royal insults with up to 15 years in jail, a campaign the court said undermined Thailand's constitutional monarchy.

His predicament provides a snapshot of Thailand's cutthroat politics, with Pita