<p>The online shopping app LAZADA has become the target of a boycott by the Thai authorities and netizens in protest against their online sales campaign that has been seen as mocking the disabled, with royalists also angry that it somehow defames the monarchy.</p>

<p>Future Forward spokesperson Pannika Wanich faced a storm of online attack over the weekend after a Facebook page posted her graduation photo from 2010, which shows Pannika in her graduation gown looking at a picture of the late King Bhumibol while a classmate points at it, along with the caption &ldquo;this should not have an explanation&rdquo;.</p>

<div>Police have investigated 20 cases of lèse majesté since the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on 13 October 2016, according to a spokesperson from the Royal Thai Police. </div>

<div> <div>Recent ‘witch hunts’ as Thailand mourns its late King are the consequence of hyper-royalism, a culture of impunity and political polarisation, says a Thai sociologist. He speculates the hunts will last until celebrations for the new throne are completed. </div></div>

<div>Recent ‘witch-hunts’ as Thailand mourns its late King are the consequence of hyper-royalism, an impunity culture and political polarisation, says a Thai sociologist. He speculates the hunts will last until celebrations for the new throne. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The term ‘witch-hunts’ has been widely used on Thai social media since the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death on 13 October. It refers to acts of vigilantism against those accused of lèse majesté or those who do not comply with nationwide mourning regulations. </div>

<div>Witch-hunts or cases of political cyber-bullying, linked to the intense polarization of Thai society, are used intensively to curtail criticism on sensitive issues, especially the monarchy and are closely linked to the lèse majesté law. This article explores online and offline political bullying, dating back to 2010. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div> </div>