Australian gets 3 years in jail for insulting Thai monarchy

Why does a country need a law to stop people defaming their king?

If he's a decent bloke he'd cop it on the chin. Instead, someone who writes a book may get 15 years in the slammer.

This is just stupid, it makes the Thai people and its government appear backward. The imprisonment of ideas is well and alive in Thailand.

The imprisonment of ideas is well and alive in Thailand.

Thailand is not alone in that. Certain writings can also get you jailed in the west, and I am not talking about threats.

I do not like it either. But its an aspect of their culture you do not play with. If you insult the king, do not travel to Thailand. Just be thankful that in places like Australia, you can insult the king all you want.

What a backward country. In Australia you're free to insult Kevin Rudd or Rolf Harris to you're blue in the face.

drunken frenzy, was found guilty and given a 10-year prison sentence for defacing images of the revered monarch. He was pardoned by the king after serving about a month behind bars.

"10-year prison sentence" is how the government and the law maker think.

"about a month" it is how the king himself actuary think of the less-majesty law! and it has always been that way.

even a thai admit that thailand is a backward country. so everyone better take likeitis's advice

its an aspect of their culture you do not play with. If you insult the king, do not travel to Thailand.

hope the guy get out of the jail soon.

Every culture has its own unique way of doing things. To say it is stupid, because it is different from our way of doing things is not the smartest comment I've ever heard. I hope the author's book sells a lot so that he has some sort of compensation for all of this when/if he gets out.

One thing I learned in Thai (saw it happen, did not do it myself) is you do NOT diss the Royal Family (and the King in particular), unless you want an ass-kicking at the very least (and don't try taking on a Thai unless you can fight well!). Reverence for the King goes WAY back to when an old King rescued Thailand (Siam) from being swallowed up by occupying forces, and also in wars with surrounding nations. The current King, as stated in the article, has brought Thais together on a number of occasions where they were bitterly divided.

All that being said, I think the most this guy should face is time served and perhaps a deportation order that includes instructions not to set foot on Thai soil again (for for a long time). Beyond that, I think any punishment is going above and beyond, as the guy seems truly repentant.

I think the most this guy should face is time served and perhaps a deportation order that includes instructions not to set foot on Thai soil again (for for a long time). Beyond that, I think any punishment is going above and beyond, as the guy seems truly repentant.

Yes, I think that is fair too, considering the situation. However, I do find it interesting that this gentleman would even take a chance writing about the King of Thailand IN THAILAND. After living in the country for at least 2 years I would think it impossible to avoid knowing how severe the punishment is for demeaning and/or threatening the king. You can be punished for just refusing to stand while the Royal Anthem is played at cinemas in Thailand.

Tough laws. Tough people who enforce them, sometime mercilessly like we can read in other news from Thailand. Shackled at the ankles. My god, like in the middle ages.

LOL. Throw a shoe at a man who liberated 25 million and the Left worships you.

Insult a figurehead like the King of Thailand and the same people, always blithering about 'freedumb' and 'real democracy', come here with their Let-me-the-old-Asia-hand-explain-ya-all-about-big-bad-Thailand and basically defend medieval customs like lese-majeste.

Entering any nation like going into a new planet.

Planet asia nations and africa nations, all have their shocks. This shocks also apply vice versa for asians and africans in other lands.

Planet thailand also has culture shocks and other royal law shocks. Travel foreign nations in a sophisticated and informed way. Read culture shock books on intended travel nation before travelling there.

Have close friends in intended travel nation,to help inform you,the ropes and the way things work.

Harry, should seek help of thailand political elite people to help get pardon or pursue other avenues of big help. Things will work out,the new government now is getting more dynamic via england educated Abhisit.

LOL. Throw a shoe at a man who liberated 25 million and the Left worships you.

But they still recommend jail time for breaking the law. Forgot that part, didn't you? You also forgot about the hundreds of thousands liberated from their bodies. And more, you forgot that many of those liberated people supported the shoe throwing.

It is amazing your capacity to forget which enables you to compare GWB to the King of Thailand. In fact, I think you just insulted the King of Thailand by making that comparison!

I don't know what he wrote, but if beeing in a foreign country you have to abide by their rules even if you do not agree or find it backward

I was a regular business and tourist visitor to Thailand over the last 15 years. Under no circumstances do you insult the King. He is seen as a demi-God. Be in a wild bar in a seedy area of Thailand and at 6 PM the national athem comes on with pictures of the King and you better behave yourself. This is the way it is in Thailand. Thailand (and its earlier incarnations) is an ancient country that does not look to the west for how it should behave. Although the headlines may be about people arrested for insulting the King the country, and the people are very tolerant on of all beliefs and religions. If you want to be a Muslim or a Catholic in thailand nobody cares - in fact, they are not so interested. But you cannot badmouth the King. This is life in Thailand. Met once three English guys who had travellled into bandit country for whatever reason. They put their Baht notes in their shoes to hide them in case they got robbed. As it was for them they were stopped by a police patrol who suspected they were involved in drugs (which they may have been). They were stripped searched and the police went apeshit when they found that they were standing on the Kings image (on the notes in their shoes). They were given good beatings, relieved of their money and put on a long bus ride to Bangkok, where I met them.

So if you feel that you cannot go to Thailand without resisting the urge to criticise the King then my advice is don't go. Because noone in Thailand is going to support you. That is life in that wonderful land.

He got 3 years. Wonder if he'll get a pardon sooner.

Actually, for the ignorant this has nothing to do with culture. The existing law was enacted during the present king's reign, for the express purpose of protecting the present king. It's simply compassionate fascism.

The problem with the law as written is, merely publishing truthful and even uncontested facts about the king is considered defamation, as long as it is perceived negatively. For example, pointing out that the King's mother was a commoner or her ethnicity is a crime. Furthermore, people have even been jailed even when the king himself has in public said the remarks were harmless (and true).

Even the prime minister has been accused of lèse majesté and he accused his opponent back, and practically any factual comment about the king or his relatives can be interpreted as such as long as somebody sees something they don't like about it.

Under no circumstances do you insult the King

It would never occur to me to insult any king or queen or member of a royal family or a head of state in their own country anywhere.

The problem with the law as written is, merely publishing truthful and even uncontested facts about the king is considered defamation, as long as it is perceived negatively.

Western libel laws used to be much the same. We are not all on the same page, and due to the fact that many cultures are on higher pages than my own in many respects, I don't jump up and down when one is a couple pages behind.

It's barbaric.

wuzzademcrat: "LOL. Throw a shoe at a man who liberated 25 million and the Left worships you."

I realize you just came/come on here to troll and post inflammatory remarks, but I feel this one should be addressed for the outright moronic comparison it is. For one thing, the man in Iraq did not throw the shoe at the Iraqi president (not King, just to note the technical differences as well). For another the King of Thailand has been revered since the times I mentioned before, and perhaps longer, with the current king HELPING TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER and saving the country in a number of ways. GWB is very, very far from being or having been revered for a long time, and is only revered by about 5% of the AMERICAN population, and mildly liked by a few percentage points more. He helped in the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and pretty near single-handedly destabilized the region more than it was.

You're actually comparing the King of Thailand to GWB? As likeitis says, you better not go over THERE and do that! hahaha.

Finally, I haven't seen one single person on this thread who condones what's going on, my friend, and pretty much EVERYONE has stated the punishment is too strict. Geez, though, your comparison is something I'm going to be laughing at for days!

"We are not all on the same page, and due to the fact that many cultures are on higher pages than my own in many respects,"

Have you ever even been to Thailand?

As absurd a violation of human rights as the Thai anti-defamation laws are (not even the King agrees with them), you have to be amazingly stupid to publish a book which insults the King while your ass is still living in Thailand.

Way to go, guy.

The king went too lightly on him. Not that I would criticize him, of course.

you have to be amazingly stupid to publish a book which insults the King while your ass is still living in Thailand.

Well, in the book it was a fictional prince that committed a vague abuse of power, or so it says in the article. I don't think the guy had any intention whatsoever of insulting the King or his family. The article does even say if the story even happens in Thailand. It might be too early to call him stupid.

But his book will probably sell a little better now. When we get our copies, it will be easier to judge.

-And that's one example of why we stopped bowin' to 'royalty'.

Thailand is free to do what they want, but this sure makes them look archaic on the international stage.

A human rights violation is a human rights violation, "culture" be damned. Excuse this outrage and you might as well excuse the outrages against freedom of speech and expression in every other authoritarian country.

The idea that Thailand does not look to the West, etc., etc. is bunk. A huge part of the national income depends upon tourism. That means a lot of tourists who come from "the West," which might as well include Japan. Thailand has covered huge areas of wilderness into tourists resorts and huge swaths of their populated areas into bordellos to get money out of "the West."

If the tourist trade suffered thanks to cases like this the Thai government and the Monarchy would think twice about abusing people like this poor naive author.

the recent strike and takeover of the airport hurt tourism badly. this will not have a significant impact on tourism. only a few people will have problems with these laws.

if you tend to act stupid when drunk, then dont go to Thailand or Singapore...

Wow.

How the heck did the Thai monarchy find out about it? The book only sold 7 copies!

Here's hoping for a full pardon and a big up-tick in sales.

Taka

I can see such laws as this becoming more common as freedom and liberty recede under leaders like Obama on the world stage. Europe/Canada also have stiffling laws against free speech whereby a charge of libel can land a political opponent in jail - though their laws are not as draconian as Thailand and most Muslim countries.

Well, I guess if you play with fire, you stand the chance to gt burned. I agree with sme of the other posters on here. It makes absolutely no sense to go to another country and criticize their Head of State, Monarch, etc. whether it was intentional or otherwise. Just leave it alone, and wait until you get back home.

toguro,

I agree with sme of the other posters on here. It makes absolutely no sense to go to another country and criticize their Head of State, Monarch, etc. whether it was intentional or otherwise. Just leave it alone, and wait until you get back home.

Exactly. This is not a matter of opinion as to whether the law is just or not. That is for each Thai person to decide for themselves. However, the fact is that the law is well-known and cases of prosecution as also well-known. Why go looking for trouble?

They should give this guy sixty years - what an arrogant git!