Even a casual visitor to Thailand can't fail to notice the public veneration of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch who last year celebrated 60 years on the throne. His image is plastered on giant billboards, roadside shrines, and airport skybridges. Every Monday, millions of Thais wear yellow shirts in his honor and refer to him proudly as "my King."

But behind these respectful displays are lèse-majesté laws that make it a criminal offense to dishonor Thailand's royal family. As a Swiss man discovered last week, public criticism of the crown, or even the whiff of disrespectful behavior, is taboo. Anyone can lodge a complaint with police, and foreigners aren't exempt.

But beyond stifling dissent against the king, in whose name the military launched a coup last September, Thailand's 11th during his reign, fear of the laws has drawn a veil over comment on Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the next in line to the throne. Prince Vajiralongkorn is likely to find it hard to match King Bhumibol's record as a diligent, devout monarch with a deft political touch. Palace publicists have struggled to create a positive image of the prince, in contrast to his younger sister, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is active in charity.

In several recent cases, Thai officials have made clear the long arm of the country's lèse-majesté laws. On March 29, Oliver Jufer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for defacing portraits of the king and queen. Mr. Jufer pleaded guilty to spray-painting graffiti over the images while intoxicated near his home in Chiang Mai. His was the first such conviction of a foreigner in a decade or more.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is being investigated on several counts of lèse-majesté. His alleged disrespect to the crown was among the justifications given for the coup. A case is also pending against Sulak Sivaraksa, an outspoken Thai academic who has twice before been prosecuted for the crime, and has called for its repeal.

This clampdown follows the heated atmosphere of mass rallies last year against Mr. Thaksin, when opposition politicians called on Bhumibol to replace the embattled premier, as he did in 1992. Bhumibol declined, and a protracted standoff over Thaksin's rule ended in a bloodless coup. But the rallies sparked an unusually frank public debate in the mainstream media over the constitutional powers of the monarchy in a fragile democracy.

Since the coup, that debate has been pushed to the margins, where bolder voices have tried to keep the spotlight on royal powers. But the door appears to be closing as a conservative military tightens its grip, abetted by media self-censorship. That, say critics, leaves little room to explore what lies ahead as Thailand tries to reconstitute its political system.

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