Moviegoer Faces Prison For Sitting During Anthem

[Jai Dee]

Moviegoer Faces Prison for Sitting During Anthem

A 27-year-old Thai man who refused to stand up when the royal anthem was played in a movie theater has been charged with lèse majesté, offending the dignity of the monarch, the police said. The crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The man, Chotisak Onsoong, failed to get on his feet last September when the anthem was played before the film started, as is customary in Thailand, where King Bhumibol Adulyadej is widely revered. “It’s the right of any individual to choose what to do,” Mr. Chotisak said.

Last year, a Swiss man was sentenced to 10 years for defacing the king’s portrait during a drunken spree. The king granted him a pardon, and he was deported after spending slightly more than four months in jail, most of it awaiting trial.

Source: AFP - 24 April 2008

[Jai Dee]

Activist denies charge of lese majeste

A former student activist has proclaimed his innocence after being charged with lese majeste for refusing to rise when the royal anthem was played in a cinema. Police yesterday brought a lese majeste charge against Chotisak Onsoong, 27, accusing him of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code by refusing to rise when the royal anthem was played before the screening of a film last September. Mr Chotisak is a secretary of the September 19 Network against the Coup, and is a former deputy secretary-general of the Students Federation of Thailand.

On Sept 20 last year, Mr Chotisak and his friends went together to see a film at a cinema in Bangkok. As is customary, the royal anthem was played before the movie started and everyone in attendance was supposed to stand up to show respect. However, Mr Chusak remained seated.

More from the Bnagkok Post here.

Note: Copyright infringement prevents me from re-posting the entire BKK Post article, but I would urge interested members to follow the link and read the entire story.

/Edit - Thanks to cclub75 for providing the additional information. If any member wishes to add more to the story, please PM an online mod with a link to the news source and they can add it into the thread for you. However, as it is a subject involving lese majeste, the thread will remain closed to prevent further discussion and speculation.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Jai Dee
Additional information provided