Thailand’s lese majeste laws are nothing to play with.
Insulting royalty can land you in jail.
Indeed.
One has to remember though that the King/royalty is the one institution that holds the country together. It's the one thing almost every Thai agrees on. So when the "reds" and "yellows" battle it out for example, the winner eventually gets the royal stamp of approval and that typically ends much of the violence and strife (for awhile).
Having lived there years ago and returned fairly often (was there recently during the BKK shutdown and shortly after the coup that put General Prayut in power) I would say it is probably a good thing that the King is still able to act as a power broker the bulk of the public considers reasonably fair.
Really, for us, it would be like burning the American flag. We've had, at times, laws on the books to prosecute people who do that - and some want a constitutional amendment banning it. So while Thailand's lese majeste laws are strict, they are not so much an oddity if you compare the Thai King to other countries revered institutions or symbols.