Maybe we could have a Thailand forum
I said I was done. Apparently you wish to continue? Lay on Mac Duff!!And damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'
You also missed the
Besides, why would I leave. You guys just make me feel so warm and fuzzy!
Man Gets Prison for Insulting Monarchy By AMBIKA AHUJA, AP
BANGKOK, Thailand (Jan. 19) - An Australian writer was sentenced Monday to three years in prison for insulting Thailand's royal family in his novel, a rare conviction of a foreigner amid a crackdown on people and Web sites deemed critical of the monarchy.
Bangkok's Criminal Court sentenced Harry Nicolaides to six years behind bars but reduced the term because he had entered a guilty plea, the judge said.
Thailand Imprisons WriterApichart Weerawong, AP3 photos Australian writer Harry Nicolaides looks out from a cell in court Monday in Bangkok, Thailand. He was sentenced to three years in prison for insulting Thailand's royal family in his 2005 novel "Verisimilitude," which sold seven copies. The offending passage was just a few sentences long and referred to the marital relations of a fictional prince. Nicolaides, a 41-year-old from Melbourne, was charged with insulting Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the crown prince in his 2005 book "Verisimilitude," a piece of fiction that only sold seven copies.
"This can't be real. It feels like a bad dream," a tearful Nicolaides told reporters earlier Monday.
A passage in the book that discussed the personal life of a fictional prince "suggested that there was abuse of royal power," the presiding judge told the court.
Thailand's lese majeste law mandates a penalty of three to 15 years imprisonment for "whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the Regent."
The offending passage in Nicolaides' novel was just a few sentences long and described the turbulent marital relations of its fictional prince. The prosecutor warned reporters Monday that the law prohibited publication and repetition of the material.
Until recently, prosecutions under the law have been uncommon — usually a handful a year — in a country where King Bhumibol is almost universally revered.
But questions about the monarchy have assumed a higher profile lately as consideration is given to the eventual succession of the 81-year-old king, the world's longest serving head of state and the only monarch most Thais have ever lived under.
Although he is a constitutional monarch who reigns but does not rule, Bhumibol — with the backing of the military — has since the 1960s held substantial political influence, usually exercised only in times of national crisis.
Shackled at the ankles and handcuffed, Nicolaides said he felt "dreadful" as guards escorted him out of the courtroom.
"I would like to apologize," he said, adding that he had "unqualified respect for the king of Thailand" and had not intended to insult him.
He said he endured "unspeakable suffering" during his pretrial detention, but did not elaborate.
Nicolaides' case came amid a recent spate of lese majeste complaints and prosecutions, and increased censorship of Web sites allegedly critical of the Thai monarchy.
Nicolaides was arrested Aug. 31 at Bangkok's international airport as he was about to board a flight home, apparently unaware of a March arrest warrant, according to rights groups. He was indicted in November and denied bail.
Nicolaides lived in Thailand from 2003 to 2005 and taught in the northern city of Chiang Rai. He has described his novel as a commentary on political and social life of contemporary Thailand.
New Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said last week his government would try to ensure the lese majeste law is not abused. But he said the monarchy must be protected because it has "immense benefits to the country as a stabilizing force." He said authorities would continue to block Web sites that insulted the institution.
Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga said Monday the new government has blocked more than 2,000 such sites.
The severity of the lese majeste laws was highlighted in 2007 when a Swiss man, apparently acting in a drunken frenzy, was given a 10-year prison sentence for defacing images of King Bhumibol. It was the first conviction of a foreigner for lese majeste in at least a decade. The man was pardoned by the king after serving about a month behind bars.
