Thai Man May Go to Prison for Insulting King’s Dog
King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2002 with Tongdaeng, whom he had rescued from an alley. The king has also written a best-selling book about her. Credit via Reuters
BANGKOK — Thailand’s strict laws making it a crime to insult the monarchy entered new territory on Monday when a factory worker was charged with disparaging the king’s dog.
In a case brought in a Thai military court, the worker, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, was charged with making a “sarcastic” Internet post related to the king’s pet. He also faces separate charges of sedition and insulting the king.
Mr. Thanakorn could face a total of 37 years in prison for his social media posts, highlighting what has become a feverish campaign to protect the monarchy and rebuff critics of the country’s military rulers.
The precise insult toward the royal dog was not divulged by the military, according to the suspect’s lawyer, Anon Numpa.
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Mr. Anon said the boundaries of what has been considered lèse-majesté, as royal insults are known, had expanded drastically in recent years. Last year, a prominent scholar was accused of insulting a king who died 400 years ago. The list of people who have been investigated now includes the American ambassador to Thailand.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and the dog he rescued from an alley, Tongdaeng, at a boat race in 2008. Credit Chaiwat Sardyaem/Bangkok Post, via Agence France-Presse
The law applies to anyone who specifically defames the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent, but Mr. Anon said he was incredulous that it could be broadened to include a household pet.
“I never imagined they would use the law for the royal dog,” he said. “It’s nonsense.”
The next legal step, the lawyer said, would be his client’s indictment, but he added that no time frame had been set by the authorities.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2002 with Tongdaeng, whom he had rescued from an alley. The king has also written a best-selling book about her. Credit via Reuters
BANGKOK — Thailand’s strict laws making it a crime to insult the monarchy entered new territory on Monday when a factory worker was charged with disparaging the king’s dog.
In a case brought in a Thai military court, the worker, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, was charged with making a “sarcastic” Internet post related to the king’s pet. He also faces separate charges of sedition and insulting the king.
Mr. Thanakorn could face a total of 37 years in prison for his social media posts, highlighting what has become a feverish campaign to protect the monarchy and rebuff critics of the country’s military rulers.
The precise insult toward the royal dog was not divulged by the military, according to the suspect’s lawyer, Anon Numpa.
Continue reading the main story
Mr. Anon said the boundaries of what has been considered lèse-majesté, as royal insults are known, had expanded drastically in recent years. Last year, a prominent scholar was accused of insulting a king who died 400 years ago. The list of people who have been investigated now includes the American ambassador to Thailand.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and the dog he rescued from an alley, Tongdaeng, at a boat race in 2008. Credit Chaiwat Sardyaem/Bangkok Post, via Agence France-Presse
The law applies to anyone who specifically defames the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent, but Mr. Anon said he was incredulous that it could be broadened to include a household pet.
“I never imagined they would use the law for the royal dog,” he said. “It’s nonsense.”
The next legal step, the lawyer said, would be his client’s indictment, but he added that no time frame had been set by the authorities.
