Aussie Refused Bail For Insulting Thai King

[george]

Aust man refused bail for insulting Thai King

BANGKOK: -- A 41-year-old Australian man in Thailand has been charged for insulting the King.

Harry Nicolaides from Melbourne was arrested in Bangkok on Sunday as he arrived in the country.

He has been visiting Thailand since 2003 and has written a book which mentions members of the royal family.

Mr Nicolaides graduated from La Trobe University in 1988 and is also a blogger.

More recently he was a teacher in hospitality at the Mae Fah Luang University in the northern Thai town of Chiang Rai.

The ABC understands Mr Nicolaides was refused bail and is currently in the Bangkok Remand Centre.

Thailand has some of the strongest lese majeste laws in the world.

-- abc.net.au 2008-08-03

[Maestro]

Australian man arrested in Thailand

19:09 AEST Wed Sep 3 2008

An Australian man has been arrested in Thailand for allegedly committing crimes against the country's royal family, authorities say.

The 41-year-old was arrested on Sunday.

"We can confirm the arrest of a 41-year-old Australian man, originally from Melbourne, in Bangkok on August 31 on possible lese majeste charges," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said.

Lese majeste charges relate to offences against the Crown.

The Australian embassy in Bangkok is providing consular assistance to the man, while DFAT in Canberra is providing assistance to his family in Australia, the spokesman said.

The ABC reports that the man is Harry Nicolaides and he was arrested after arriving in Thailand on Sunday.

Nicolaides has visited Thailand since 2003 and written a book which mentions members of the royal family, the national broadcaster reports.

He graduated from La Trobe University in 1988 and is also a blogger.

Nicolaides has taught at the Mae Fah Luang University in the northern Thai town of Chiang Rai.

It is believed he was refused bail and is being held at the Bangkok Remand Centre.

Source: National Nine News

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=625411

(Link received from zorro1)

[Jai Dee]

Govt monitoring Aussie held in Thai case

The federal government says it has made representations to the Thai authorities on behalf of an Australian man charged with criticising the country's royal family.

Former Melbourne man Harry Nicolaides was arrested on August 31 at Bangkok Airport on his way back to Australia.

The 41-year-old expatriate is facing one charge of criticising the royal family which carries a maximum prison term of 15 years.

The charges arise from a reference to the royal family in a book written by Nicolaides, who teaches at the Mae Fah Luang University in the northern Thai town of Chiang Rai.

Labor Senator John Faulkner said on Wednesday the government was taking a very close interest in the case.

"Our ambassador (Paul Grigson) has made representations to senior Thai authorities about the case and has written a letter of support to the foreign ministry," he told parliament.

Senator Faulkner said the government was providing a high level of consular support to Mr Nicolaides through frequent prison visits.

Consular staff in Canberra were also in regular contact with his family in Melbourne about developments in the case and his health.

Nicolaides has been refused bail and is being held at the Bangkok Remand Centre.

Senator Faulkner said the Thai public prosecutor had until the end of November to bring the case to court.

Senator Faulkner said the government could not intervene directly in the judicial process.

"Mr Nicolaides is subject to the Thai judicial process, the government cannot interfere in that process, just as we would not welcome an attempt buy a foreign government to interfere in our own."

Source: nineMSN News - 12 November 2008