An appeals court in Thailand has upheld a two-year prison sentence for a lawmaker from the progressive People’s Party for defaming the monarchy in a speech she made four years ago. The court in Bangkok on Tuesday granted Chonthicha Jangrew’s request for bail. She said she intended to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. The court’s action, though expected, underlines that Thailand's machinery of state remains deeply conservative, despite a recent change of government and the opposition People’s Party’s standing as the biggest party in Parliament. Thailand’s political establishment is sensitive about any perceived threats to the status of the country’s influential monarchy.