Thai court dissolves key pro-democracy party

A stridently anti-military Thai party was dissolved Friday and its key members banned from politics for a decade over a $6 million loan by its billionaire founder, a withering blow to the kingdom's pro-democracy movement.

The ruling could edge a politically febrile kingdom -- whose economy is shrinking -- closer to the street protests, which have scored much of the last 15 years of Thai history.

The Future Forward Party (FFP), fronted by the charismatic auto-parts scion Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, emerged from nowhere in March last year to become Thailand's third biggest party in the first elections since a 2014 coup.

The party's radical agenda -- calling for full democracy, an end to conscription and the removal of the army from politics and business -- won it 6.3 million votes and pitched it against the powerful, conservative military.

But since their strong poll showing, Thanathorn and his 76 lawmakers have faced relentless rounds of legal cases in Thailand's courts.

Yesterday, the nine-member constitutional court dissolved FFP, ruling a $6 million loan by Thanathorn breached the law governing political parties.

The loan exceeded the $315,000 limit on donations to parties by an individual, one judge said.

Sixteen party executives, including founder Thanathorn, were also "banned for running for political office for 10 years," judge Nakarin Mektriarat added.

Future Forward MPs remain lawmakers but have 60 days to find another party in parliament. The party could also relaunch, but without its charismatic key executives is likely to struggle to keep the same number in their ranks.