King Pardons Swiss Lese Majeste Man

[george]

King pardons Swiss lese majeste man

CHIANG MAI: -- His Majesty the King has pardoned the Swiss man convicted last month of lese majeste for spray-painting portraits on the monarch.

"His Majesty in his kindness has granted him a pardon and he has been transferred from prison and is in the process of being deported from the country," said Chiang Mai Pol Col Prachuab Wongsuk.

Oliver Rudolf Jufer, 57, was convicted last month of lese majeste and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

A resident of Thailand, Jufer painted over the posters last year, supposedly while he was drunk.

-- Bangkok Post 2007-04-12

[george]

H.M. the King pardons Swiss man

BANGKOK: -- His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej has pardoned a Swiss man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month for defacing portraits of the monarch, prosecutors said Thursday.

Oliver Jufer, 57, had been sentenced to 10 years in prison on March 29 after pleading guilty to five counts of lese majeste - after he defaced several portraits of the king with spray paint while drunk in Chiang Mai last December.

Deportation

The Swiss man will be deported from Thailand after his release, Panu Kwanyuen, the provincial attorney general of Chiang Mai said.

- The Nation 2007-04-12

[george]

HM the King pardons Swiss man jailed for royal insult

BANGKOK: -- HM the King has pardoned a Swiss man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month for vandalising portraits of the monarch, prosecutors said Thursday.

"I have learned that he received a royal pardon a few days ago. Now he has been released but will be deported from Thailand," said Panu Kwanyuen, the provincial attorney general in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Oliver Jufer, 57, had been sentenced to 10 years in prison on March 29 after pleading guilty to five counts of lese majeste -- the crime of offending the dignity of a sovereign.

He was convicted of defacing several portraits of the king with spray paint during a drunken spree in Chiang Mai in December.

A prison official in Chiang Mai said Jufer had been released on Tuesday. Thai court officials could not say if he had been deported yet.

Swiss embassy officials were not immediately reachable for comment.

Jufer is from Zurich but has lived mainly in Thailand for the last 10 years and has married a Thai woman, according to Thai authorities.

Security cameras videotaped him defacing the king's portraits on December 5, which is the monarch's birthday and a time of national celebration.

Thailand has been swept up in royal fever since the king's 60th anniversary on the throne in June last year.

The palace also became more prominent in Thai political life with a military coup in September, which was conducted with the king's apparent blessing.

The generals who staged the coup have repeatedly said that one of the reasons for ousting elected prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was because he had been "impolite" to the monarch.

But prosecutors last week dropped the lese majeste charges against Thaksin, although they chided him over the remarks.

--AFP 2007-04-12

[george]

Swiss grafitti painter back home

BERNE: -- The Swiss man granted a royal pardon by the His Majesty the King after being convicted of insulting the monarch, has arrived back in Switzerland.

Oliver Jufer, 57, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month after spray-painting portraits of His Majesty while drunk in Chiang Mai.

His act was captured on close circuit television last Dec 5, the King's 79th birthday.

Jufer had admitted five charges of lese majeste when he appeared in court in Chiang Mai. Lese majeste laws in Thailand make it a serious crime to insult or belittle the monarchy.

In a statement, Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey welcomed Jufer's release and thanked His Majesty for granting a pardon.

-- Bangkok Post 2007-04-13

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Swiss grafitti painter back home

BERNE: -- The Swiss man granted a royal pardon by the His Majesty the King after being convicted of insulting the monarch, has arrived back in Switzerland.

Oliver Jufer, 57, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month after spray-painting portraits of His Majesty while drunk in Chiang Mai.

His act was captured on close circuit television last Dec 5, the King's 79th birthday.

Jufer had admitted five charges of lese majeste when he appeared in court in Chiang Mai. Lese majeste laws in Thailand make it a serious crime to insult or belittle the monarchy.

In a statement, Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey welcomed Jufer's release and thanked His Majesty for granting a pardon.

-- Bangkok Post 2007-04-13

A great outcome. Long Live the King.