Another independent figure is arrested on lese majeste charges
Any hope that the new Democrat Party government of Prime Minister Vejjajiva Abhisit, who is usually described as "urbane" and "Oxford-educated," would lighten up on the war against free expression ended Friday when two van-loads of
police descended on the offices of Prachatai, a leading independent Thai-language website in Bankgkok, to arrest Chiranut Prempreecha, the woman who founded the website and serves as its coordinator.
Chiranut was later taken to Bangkok's Payatai Police Station for questioning, as red-shirted protesters thronged the area, and charged with carrying Internet content on Prachatai that threatens national security.
The charges carry a maximum five-year jail sentence. The website has a reputation for carrying content that Thai newspapers shy away from publishing, including articles and messages critical of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the increasingly frail octogenarian monarch, and the hangers-on around him.
The charges carry a maximum five-year jail sentence. The website has a reputation for carrying content that Thai newspapers shy away from publishing, including articles and messages critical of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the increasingly frail octogenarian monarch, and the hangers-on around him.
The police refused to comment to the press on the charges against Chiranut, saying they were "too sensitive." In the past, Thai officials have likened the use of lese majeste laws to national security measures such as those airlines employ to search passengers, although passenger searches normally do not have the potential for 15-year jail sentences from compliant courts.
Chiranut is the latest in a string of journalists and others who have been hauled in by police on allegations they had violated the country's strict laws against insulting Thailand's monarchy, which have been extended to include not just the royal family but officers of the court, the Buddhist hierarchy and probably the king's butcher, baker and candlestick maker.
As many as 3,000 websites have been shut down, supposedly for being critical of the country's royalty, including briefly the Asia Sentinel for stories critical of the use of the laws against dissent. Giles Ji Ungpakorn,
a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University who published articles in Asia Sentinel that were critical of the monarchy and the 2006 coup that the royalty backed, was arrested in January on lese majeste charges and ultimately fled the country. Ungpakorn, who holds dual British and Thai citizenship, said he did not believe he could get a fair trial in the country.
a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University who published articles in Asia Sentinel that were critical of the monarchy and the 2006 coup that the royalty backed, was arrested in January on lese majeste charges and ultimately fled the country. Ungpakorn, who holds dual British and Thai citizenship, said he did not believe he could get a fair trial in the country.
People have been arrested and charged for offences as slight as not standing up for the royal anthem in a movie theater. A would-be novelist and teacher who included one paragraph about the unpopular and unstable crown prince, Maha
Vajiralongkorn, in a three-year-old novel that sold fewer than 10 copies was jailed for three years. At least 11 people remain in jail or charged. Offenders of the lese majeste law face a potential of 15 years in jail.
Vajiralongkorn, in a three-year-old novel that sold fewer than 10 copies was jailed for three years. At least 11 people remain in jail or charged. Offenders of the lese majeste law face a potential of 15 years in jail.
According to the website Political Prisoners in Thailand (http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com), 50 international scholars and dignitaries have signed a letter to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, urging the government to reform the
law and requesting that the government release those already convicted."They are charged for expressing their ideas. This should not be a crime," the letter states.
law and requesting that the government release those already convicted."They are charged for expressing their ideas. This should not be a crime," the letter states.
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