As Thailand grieves late king, mobs wage street justice for perceived insults to beloved monarch

The death of Thailand’s much-beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej last week after a protracted illness has left a nation of nearly 70 million people in a state of mourning that plays out in public — with millions dressing in black and joining in memorial rites for a ruler who spent seven decades on the throne.

But in recent days, the collective grief has spawned something else: violent monarchist mobs that pursue those they feel have insulted the late king or who aren’t appropriately dressed.

[…]

Leaders of the military junta on Tuesday gave conflicting messages to the public about the violence. The prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, exhorting the Thai people to stop “chasing” those who are not wearing black.

But the country’s justice minister, Paiboon Koomchaya, later said: “There is no better way to punish these people than to socially sanction them.”

[…]

Well, what can we say?