lese_majeste

More on the issue of Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, which I mentioned in my last two posts: The New York Times has a story today summing up the situation:

At the entrance to a neighborhood in Bangkok’s garment district, residents have posted an unambiguous message on an archway decorated with an image of Thailand’s king.

“If you live in Thailand, you must be loyal,” reads a sign prominently suspended over the road. “If you are not loyal, you are not Thai.”

Thailand has always stood out for the deference that many Thais openly show toward their monarch. But in the twilight of the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 84, now weakened and living in a specially outfitted suite in a Bangkok hospital, dedicated loyalists are leading a feverish, with-us-or-against-us campaign to defend him. At the same time, the government has intensified a crackdown on criticism of the monarchy, prosecuting a record number of people charged with royal insults.

Passions over the monarchy have escalated to the point where some Thais say they fear the situation could turn violent.

“We have reached a stage where people would want to drive you out of the country or even want to kill you for having different thoughts,” said Anon Numpa, a lawyer who represents a dozen clients accused of royal insults.

The royalists say they feel under attack, most recently from outside the country. On the Internet, thousands of Thais have posted angry comments on the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page since a Thai-born U.S. citizen was convicted of insulting the king.

Worth a read.

(All emphasis mine.)

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To follow up on my post regarding recent discussion of Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, I wanted to share this Bloomberg story from yesterday:

Hundreds of Thai royalists called for U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney to “get out” of the country after a State Department official questioned the conviction of an American for insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Siam Samakkhi, which means United Siam, submitted letters to the UN and U.S. today urging them to avoid commenting on the lese-majeste law, group member Tul Sitthisomwong said. About 200 members of the organization, waving royal flags and holding pictures of King Bhumibol, shouted “Kristie get out!” in front of the embassy in Bangkok today.

Worth a read.

Elsewhere, VOA has a story and some photos.

And there’s more from the Bangkok Post.

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Just a quick note to point out that Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, which make it illegal to insult the royal family, are very much in the news these days.

Here’s a cell phone photo of today’s Bangkok Post front page:

The main story seen above — “Royalists step into lese majeste row” — says:

The controversy over Article 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law, is heating up with royalist group Siam Samakkhi (United Siam) deploring the UN, the US and the European Union for “attempting to interfere” in the country’s judicial system.

The group said the critics lacked understanding of the constitutional monarchy after they called for reforms of the lese majeste law.

The international community appears troubled by recent court rulings in two lese majeste cases. It says they are inconsistent with international standards of freedom of expression.

Siam Samakkhi said criticism of the lese majeste law is based on partial information and a lack of understanding about the consequences of violating the lese majeste law.

And today’s Nation reports:

The US Embassy in Bangkok got a taste of sorts of the “freedom of expression” medicine after Thai political rivals faced off with plenty of obscenities on its Facebook page over the past few days.

With some comments disappearing from the Facebook page yesterday, questions were asked if the embassy really adheres to the democratic principles it preaches. In a reply to a Twitter user, American Ambassador Kristie Kenny said, “As you know, we welcome a vibrant exchange of views. Just ask that it be kept civilised and respectful of all involved”.

A U.S. Embassy statement today notes:

This message is to alert you that on Friday, December 16th, a large group—possibly as many as 1200 people—will gather in front of the U.S. Embassy on Wireless Road. The exact time of the demonstration is unknown, but most of the demonstrators are expected to arrive between 1300 and 1600 hours.

(All emphasis mine.)

More soon on the topic of lèse-majesté, I’m sure. But I wanted to share these links for now.

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A quick follow-up on my post yesterday about Thailand’s latest lèse-majesté case, in which a man has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for sending SMS messages deemed offensive to monarchy:

Today’s Bangkok Post reports:

People who press “share” or “like” buttons on Facebook in response to lese majeste-related content can violate the Computer Crime Act, Information and Communication Technology Minister Anudith Nakornthap has warned.

Although the clicks were only aimed at showing support for people who posted messages or to oppose the ill-intentioned messages, they could be considered an infraction of the law, the minister said.

The information and photos of on-line participants in such topics can be exploited by web operators who can reuse them in making “fake Facebook” pages, said Capt Anudith.

The Facebook users will then become supporters of a group or network that offend the monarch.

He advised people who pressed those buttons in Facebook to delete all their reactions and comments.

“If they don’t delete them, they can end up violating the Computer Crime Act for indirectly distributing inappropriate content,” Capt Anudith said.

(All emphasis mine.)

Meanwhile, AFP says today:

Thailand has asked Facebook to delete more than 10,000 pages which it that are “offensive” to its monarchy.

The news came a day after a Thai court jailed a man for 20 years for sending four text messages deemed insulting to the monarchy, alarming critics who say the kingdom’s strict lese-majeste laws hamper free speech.

“We have informed Facebook and sought their assistance in deleting content which is offensive to our monarchy,” the country’s information minister Anudith Nakornthap said.

Back in 2007, of course, the government blocked YouTube in Thailand due to content that ran afoul of lèse-majesté laws.

Question: Would the Thai government consider blocking Facebook in Thailand if the company doesn’t remove the material?

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The AP reports:

Thailand’s criminal court sentenced a 61-year-old man to 20 years in prison Wednesday for sending text messages deemed offensive to the country’s queen.

The court found Amphon Tangnoppaku guilty on four counts under the country’s lese majeste and computer crime laws, sentencing him to five years imprisonment for each charge.

Lese majeste is the crime of insulting a monarch, and Thailand’s laws against it are the most severe in the world. Even repeating the details of an alleged offence is illegal.

The court said Mr. Amphon had sent offensive text messages in May 2010 to a personal secretary of then prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Mr. Amphon denied the charges, saying he was unfamiliar with the text message function on mobile phones and did not know the recipient of the message.

The New York Times says:

A retired truck driver was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for sending cellphone text messages that a court deemed insulting to Thailand’s monarchy.

The conviction is the latest in a growing number of cases in Thailand under a law imposing harsh penalties for making insults or threats directed at King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 83, and his family, even in private communications.

Bloomberg reports:

A Thai court sentenced a retired truck driver to 20 years in prison for sending text messages that threatened and defamed Queen Sirikit, one of the longest jail terms given under laws protecting the royal family.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Pundit has some analysis.

There are already multiple stories from AP, AFP, BBC etc. Amnesty International have already issued a statement stating he is a political prisoner and almost certainly a prisoner of conscience – BP understands Human Rights Watch will likely issue a statement as well – and well the severity of the sentence for insults sent by text message puts lese majeste back in the spotlight particularly given the personal circumstances of the person convicted. His plight will likely invoke more sympathy than for other cases. If there is going to be a poster child (for want of a better word) of the problems of lese majeste law and its application then this is the case. How will the government respond? Will this be one of the lese majeste cases reviewed? (or will the reviews only apply to those yet to proceed to prosecution?)

(All emphasis mine.)

For posts on various past cases, see the lèse-majesté tag.

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The AP reports today that:

A Thai lawyer says police have arrested a computer programmer on charges of insulting the nation’s revered monarch on a Facebook page. The charges carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

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