ID :
53754
Fri, 04/03/2009 - 22:57
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/53754
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Thai man sentenced to 10 years jail for insulting monarchy
BANGKOK, April 3 (TNA) - Thailand's Bangkok-based Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced a Thai man for insulting the kingdom's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej to 20 years imprisonment, but commuted the sentence to ten years after the defendant's confession.
Suwicha Thakho, 34, burst into tears when he heard the verdict.
Mr. Suwicha was arrested in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom in January.
He was found guilty of violating cyber law and committing multiple instances of lese majeste, or insulting the royal institution, by posting edited photos of His Majesty the King and Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on a website.
It is a violation of Thai law to criticise the monarchy, less majeste, with such action being liable to three to15 years in prison.
Anyone found guilty of violating the Computer Crime Act can be imprisoned for up to five years and fined Bt100,000 ($2,770).
The most recent case of lese majeste involves Giles Ji Ungpakorn, an outspoken academic, who fled to Britain last month after being charged with lese majeste in regard to a book he wrote about the 2006 coup in Thailand.
Australian novelist Harry Nicolaides of Melbourne was granted a royal pardon late February after being sentenced to three years in prison for writing a fictional work deemed insulting to the monarchy
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said last month he would look into ways to reform Thailand’s lese majeste law to ensure clarity and fairness for all parties concerned.
"The enforcement of the law itself must first be deliberated as problems in the past were involved with how the law was being enforced," the prime minister said. - (TNA)
Suwicha Thakho, 34, burst into tears when he heard the verdict.
Mr. Suwicha was arrested in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom in January.
He was found guilty of violating cyber law and committing multiple instances of lese majeste, or insulting the royal institution, by posting edited photos of His Majesty the King and Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on a website.
It is a violation of Thai law to criticise the monarchy, less majeste, with such action being liable to three to15 years in prison.
Anyone found guilty of violating the Computer Crime Act can be imprisoned for up to five years and fined Bt100,000 ($2,770).
The most recent case of lese majeste involves Giles Ji Ungpakorn, an outspoken academic, who fled to Britain last month after being charged with lese majeste in regard to a book he wrote about the 2006 coup in Thailand.
Australian novelist Harry Nicolaides of Melbourne was granted a royal pardon late February after being sentenced to three years in prison for writing a fictional work deemed insulting to the monarchy
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said last month he would look into ways to reform Thailand’s lese majeste law to ensure clarity and fairness for all parties concerned.
"The enforcement of the law itself must first be deliberated as problems in the past were involved with how the law was being enforced," the prime minister said. - (TNA)
