20 Feb 12 | Digital Freedom, Index Index, minipost
The trial of the web master of a Thai news website resumed last week after a long interruption.Chiranuch Premchaiporn, web master of Prachatai news website, faces a possible 20 year prison sentence for not removing certain user comments from her website quickly enough. The resumed case, which was delayed from October 2011 due to the severe flooding in Bangkok, heard five defence witnesses give evidence to the court on 14, 15 and 16 February. Chiranuch has said she was pleased that the defence witnesses were finally able to give their evidence.
17 Dec 11 | Asia and Pacific
A crowd of 200 royalists staged a protest at the United States Embassy in Bangkok on 16 December, accusing it of interfering in domestic affairs.
Protesters criticised Ambassador Kristie Kennie for her comments on recent lese majeste prosecutions, including that of of Joe Gordon, a Thailand-born US citizen.
“We call on the US embassy and Ambassador Kristie Kenney to apologise to all Thai people for their improper action towards our beloved king,” protest leader Chaiwat Surawichai reportedly said to AFP.
Both US and UN officials had expressed concern about the sentencing of Joe Gordon, also known as Lerpong Wichaikhammat, on 8 December and Amphon Tangnoppakul on 23 November. Gordon, 55, faces two-and-a-half years in prison for translating parts of a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posting them online, while Amphon, 61, was sentenced to 20 years for sending four text messages insulting the monarchy.
Members of royalist group Siam Sammakkhi (United Siam) submitted letters to the United Nations headquarters and the Ambassador urging them not to comment on the lese majeste law. Some of them carried placards which read “Kristie Kenney Shut Up”, “We will protect Article 112 with our lives” and shouted for the Ambassador to “get out”.
At about 6:00pm local time, Kenney posted on her Twitter account that the “protest was peaceful, protestors included respectful conversation with Embassy staff to exchange views. Freedom of expression”. Earlier the US Embassy posted a statement on its website stating “the United States government has the utmost respect for the Thai monarchy, the royal family and Thai culture”, and they “respect Thai laws and do not take sides in Thailand’s internal affairs. We support freedom of expression around the world and consider it a fundamental human right.”
According a report from The Nation, angry commentators had this week lashed out at the Embassy on its Facebook page with postings containing abusive language and images. After its administrator posted a request urging for civility to no avail on 15 December, the messages have been apparently deleted. There was barrage of messages following Kenney’s remarks during a chat with Twitter users last week, including one that read she was “troubled by prosecutions inconsistent with international standard of freedom of expression”.
On 9 December, the UN Office of High Commissioner on Human Rights called for Thailand to amend its lese majeste law. During the Universal Periodic Review in October, countries with monarchs, such as the UK and Norway, urged Thailand to safeguard freedom of expression. Countries without that did not comment during the session included the US.
15 Dec 11 | Asia and Pacific
Despite mounting public criticism on lèse-majesté, Thailand’s Criminal Court sentenced Red shirt activist Daranee Charncherngsilapakul, widely known as “Da Torpedo”, to 15 years in jail for three offences after rejecting her appeal. She was formerly convicted to 18 years in jail in a closed trial in August 2009, after spending more than a year in detention for making a fiery speech opposing the 2006 military coup and the monarchy in a public rally.
According to a report on 15 December, Daranee, said that she found it useless to fight the conviction, while her lawyer Prawais Praphanukul said he would discuss with her about applying for a royal pardon.
“There are two channels open, normal procedure by simply allowing the 30-day appeal limit to lapse, or a quicker way, by sending a document to the court indicating that the defendant abandons the right to appeal. After that, we will have to go through the proper channels for a royal pardon,” said Prawais.
Since the court convicted the 61-years-old Amphon Tangnoppakhun to 20 years in jail on 23 November for four “lèse-majesté” sms messages sent from his phone, public criticism of the law and the judgement has been taking place in Facebook, the media and, on one occasion, on the street. Amphon’s age, and that the court ignored his pleading of not guilty and gave him the maximum sentence on the basis of him being the phone owner, caught public sympathy. A day before Daranee’s sentencing, the Court Spokesperson Sitthisak Wanachakij sent out to the media a defense of Amphon’s case judgement, stressing that channels for appeal are open to him.
In the meantime, the Judge who sentenced Amphon, Chanathip Muanphawong, quashed Daranee’s appeal.
The Yingluck administration, sworn to office in August, has not been supportive of calls to reform the lèse-majesté law. As recently as 13 December, news website Prachatai reported that Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung asked the government for 400 million baht (8.2 million GBP) to procure a technology to crackdown on lèse-majesté websites. He also received a petition by the Lawyers Council of Thailand, who urged the Information Ministry and the police to buck up in clamping down online lèse-majesté.
12 Dec 11 | Index Index, minipost
The United Nations have joined human rights groups in calling for reform of Thailand’s notoriously harsh Lèse Majesté laws. The calls urging the Thai authorities to reform the harsh laws relating to insulting the monarchy follow the recent imprisonment of 61-year old grandfather Ampon Tangnoppakul.
Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights suggested that: “Guidelines should be issued to the police and public prosecutors to stop arresting and charging individuals under these vaguely worded laws.” Around 100 supporters of Tangnoppakulalso made a rare public protest outside the Criminal Court in Bangkok against the laws.
