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| Patiwat Saraiyaem, left, and Pornthip Munkong being escorted by Thai prison officials after receiving jail sentences in Bangkok on Feb. 23. CreditNarong Sangnak/European Pressphoto Agency |
Running Afoul of the Thai Monarchy
Source: NY Times
Sep 20, 2015
Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté laws make it a crime to insult the monarchy, an offense that encompasses a surprising number of activities.
Under Thai law, it is illegal to defame, insult or threaten King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the queen or the crown prince.
But over the past decade, as the king has become infirm, the law has been used more extensively, leading to lengthy jail sentences for critics, and applied broadly to cover all sorts of speech, including graffiti, theater and private conversations.
Here are six recent cases that have ended in jail terms.
SENTENCED TO 2.5 YEARS IN JAIL
A Play
Patiwat Saraiyaem and Pornthip Munkong
“Wolf Bride,” an hourlong play performed only once at Thammasat University in Bangkok in October 2013, is the tale of an imaginary kingdom, its ruthless king and his corrupt advisers.
Royalists were offended by its apparent allusions to the Thai court when they discovered a video of the performance on YouTube and filed a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors argued that the play’s veiled purpose was to denigrate the monarchy.
Mr. Patiwat, a student who played a Brahmin adviser to the fictitious king, and Ms. Pornthip, who directed the show, were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Their sentences were halved after they pleaded guilty.
Other participants in the play have gone into exile, the local news media reported.
Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté laws make it a crime to insult the monarchy, an offense that encompasses a surprising number of activities.
Under Thai law, it is illegal to defame, insult or threaten King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the queen or the crown prince.
But over the past decade, as the king has become infirm, the law has been used more extensively, leading to lengthy jail sentences for critics, and applied broadly to cover all sorts of speech, including graffiti, theater and private conversations.
Here are six recent cases that have ended in jail terms.
SENTENCED TO 2.5 YEARS IN JAIL
A Play
Patiwat Saraiyaem and Pornthip Munkong
“Wolf Bride,” an hourlong play performed only once at Thammasat University in Bangkok in October 2013, is the tale of an imaginary kingdom, its ruthless king and his corrupt advisers.
Royalists were offended by its apparent allusions to the Thai court when they discovered a video of the performance on YouTube and filed a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors argued that the play’s veiled purpose was to denigrate the monarchy.
Mr. Patiwat, a student who played a Brahmin adviser to the fictitious king, and Ms. Pornthip, who directed the show, were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Their sentences were halved after they pleaded guilty.
Other participants in the play have gone into exile, the local news media reported.
SENTENCED TO 1.5 YEARS IN JAIL
Bathroom Graffiti
Opas Chansuksai
A security guard at a department store in Bangkok accused Mr. Opas of scrawling defamatory text on the walls of a public bathroom there last year. Mr. Opas, a shopkeeper in his late 60s, was arrested by the military and tried in a military court. His three-year jail sentence was later halved because of an illness.
It is unknown what exactly Mr. Opas was accused of writing on the bathroom wall, because lèse-majesté laws prevent the news media from reporting the alleged insult.
SENTENCED TO 2 YEARS IN JAIL
A Hand Gesture
Yossawarit Chuklom
The Thai authorities took offense to a hand gesture that Mr. Yossawarit, a politician, made while giving a speech at a protest in 2011: He placed his hands over his mouth, in a motion that suggested that he was being muzzled.
In his speech, Mr. Yossawarit called for the dissolution of the Thai government at the time, saying that the military and the head of the privy council, among others, wanted to keep it in power.
But there was also someone else, he said, making the gesture. “I am not brave enough to say it,” he told the crowd. “But I know what are you thinking right now. So I will keep my mouth shut.”
A court sentenced the politician to three years in jail for lèse-majesté. His sentence was reduced by a year because of a confession. He has since been released on bail.
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| Somyot Pruksakasemsuk as he arrived at court for his trial in 2013.CreditChaiwat Subprasom/Reuters |
SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN JAIL
Someone Else’s Article
Somyot Pruksakasemsuk
Someone Else’s Article
Somyot Pruksakasemsuk
Mr. Somyot, a labor rights activist, was jailed in 2011 for his part in publishing two articles that were said to defame the king.
He did not write the articles, but they appeared in a magazine he edited, which has since ceased publication.
During his trial, Mr. Somyot openly challenged Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, arguing that they were an impediment to free expression. Thailand’s Constitutional Court rejected his reasoning, saying that insulting the king “is considered an act that wounds the feelings of Thais who respect and worship the king and the monarchy.”
Mr. Somyot was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
He did not write the articles, but they appeared in a magazine he edited, which has since ceased publication.
During his trial, Mr. Somyot openly challenged Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, arguing that they were an impediment to free expression. Thailand’s Constitutional Court rejected his reasoning, saying that insulting the king “is considered an act that wounds the feelings of Thais who respect and worship the king and the monarchy.”
Mr. Somyot was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
SENTENCED TO 2.5 YEARS IN JAIL
A Taxi Conversation
Yuthasak Kangwanwongsakul
In January 2014, Mr. Yuthasak, a taxi driver in Bangkok, casually discussed politics with a passenger, who later reported him to the police for speaking disparagingly about the monarchy.
Mr. Yuthasak was detained in June and stood trial in August. The passenger’s secret recording of their conversation was used as evidence.
Mr. Yuthasak, who is in his mid-40s, was sentenced to five years in jail. The sentence was halved because he pleaded guilty.
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| Pongsak Sriboonpeng, right, in a photo the Royal Thai police shared on Facebook.CreditRoyal Thai Police |
Facebook Posts
Pongsak Sriboonpeng
Last year, Mr. Pongsak, 48, posted six photos on Facebook with comments that were said to have criticized Thai royalty. The content of the posts is not known.
Mr. Pongsak, a tour guide, stood trial in a military court in August. A judge handed him a 10-year prison sentence for each of the six Facebook posts.
His sentence was halved to 30 years because he pleaded guilty. His is the harshest lèse-majesté sentence in modern Thai history.
