Lese Majeste Complaint Filed Against The Foreign Correspondents Club Of Thailand

[yeti]

Press release from Ms Luksana: http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/1296.

In short: the FCC of Thailand is a “Brothel of Treacherous Criminals”, a lot more criminal complaints are to be laid against, well almost everybody, including officers of the Police Department and the Attorney General Office (for not dealing promptly enough with cases relating to National Security), Jakrapob not only insulted the king of Thailand, but also Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain who is also protected by article 133 of Thai Criminal Law (lèse-majesté law - this is true, lèse-majesté law protects foreign head of states as well as the family of the king of Thailand, people can use it against journalists who have criticized George W Bush when he was president, that would be funny).

Also some background information on this great defender of the Freedom of Speech, who is a lot more than just a translator.

[Wiresok]

The lunatics are still running the asylum.

[AnnAnn]

Press release from Ms Luksana: http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/1296.

In short: the FCC of Thailand is a “Brothel of Treacherous Criminals”, a lot more criminal complaints are to be laid against, well almost everybody, including officers of the Police Department and the Attorney General Office (for not dealing promptly enough with cases relating to National Security), Jakrapob not only insulted the king of Thailand, but also Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain who is also protected by article 133 of Thai Criminal Law (lèse-majesté law - this is true, lèse-majesté law protects foreign head of states as well as the family of the king of Thailand, people can use it against journalists who have criticized George W Bush when he was president, that would be funny).

Also some background information on this great defender of the Freedom of Speech, who is a lot more than just a translator.

If Prachatai can be trusted, he is a little over the top.

However, I agree that all foreign should respect local laws, no matter how ridiculous they are, since it is your choice to visit that country or not.

[yeti]

Prachatai is a very serious newspaper (with an humorous column from a guy pen named Harrisson George which I posted before, but the rest of the newspaper is serious).

This Ms Luksana is completely over the top, and the fact that such a person can lodge devastating lèse-majesté criminal complaints against anybody, including police and attorney general office for not dealing efficiently enough with lèse-majesté complaints (thus making them accomplice) is the main problem with this law.

[Plus]

Once the offending speech by Jakrapob resulted in a court case, it would seem reasonable that the general public should have the opportunity to see the speech for themselves, so that they can form their own opinion of its content and intent. Thus, it seems to me that the FCCT was fulfilling its duty in providing copies of the speech; to self-censor runs the risk of biased representation.

The FCCT did not broadcast the speech; they simply made copies available to those interested.

Nonsense. As soon as they started distributing potential LM comments, they opened themselves to possible prosecution, which is exactly what happened.

It's like "oh, this video is in the court for being a kiddy porn, I should try and distribute it to the public so they can form their own opinion".

And it's not that the speech was unavailable via other means, free of charge, so there was absolutely no reason to keep in on sale.

They should take it down, apologise, and promise not to make similar mistake again, and go on with their work. No need to blow it into "media prosecution scandal" - it was their own, stupid error of judgement.

>>>>

IJWT, I misspelled Osama/Obama a few times myself, but I think I corrected it in time. Posession of Osama's book was one of the charges against that muslim cleric. Regardless, he initially attracted interest of law enforcement agencies for his preaching, and they eventually found legal ways to take him down.

I don't know how people have guts to state that authorities in the Western countries do not pay attention to what people say at all, with all the current monitoring of e-mail and phone calls. They DO care very much when it comes to sensitive issues, like terrorism. Why should Thailand be denied the right to protect its royal institution if it thinks it's vital to its national security?

[Oberkommando]

It's like "oh, this video is in the court for being a kiddy porn, I should try and distribute it to the public so they can form their own opinion".

What a ridiculous, facile and harmful analogy.

[hammered]

Didnt Sondhi get charged with LM for reporting what Da Torpedo said and making it available for distribution?

[jayboy]

Why should Thailand be denied the right to protect its royal institution if it thinks it's vital to its national security?

It's nothing to do with national security.Thais however have every right to defend a constitutional monarchy which has served the country well over the years.

[Plus]

Yes, Sondhi was charged for relaying the content of Da Torpedo's speech even he himself was clearly outraged by it. Why should foreign journalist be held to different standards when it comes to LM laws?

>>>

I don't understand why national security and defending constitutional monarchy are unrelated.

[jayboy]

I don't understand why national security and defending constitutional monarchy are unrelated.

Because the monarchy isn't actually under threat.It's revered by Thais and deeply respected in the outside world.Of course there's always a lunatic fringe which is best dealt with by ignoring it.

No the problem is the lese majeste law or the way it is applied if you like.Do we we really need to rehearse again the way it is abused and the damage it is inflicting on the very institution it's designed to protect?

[seri thai]

self edited as I find all I want to say can be misconstrued.

or perhaps it's moral cowardice?

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;

And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;

And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;

And then... they came for me... And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

Pastor Niemoller

Edited July 11, 2009 by seri thai

[Plus]

Yeah, less corrupt generals.... That's why he promoted his cousin to the top army post in just two years.

It's all about fighting corruption. Yeah. It's for the people...

[yeti]

I never said Toxin was the man to do it, I just said it would be a good thing if the Thai army was moving out of politics, media, and business (but I know I am dreaming).

[TAWP]

I don't know how people have guts to state that authorities in the Western countries do not pay attention to what people say at all, with all the current monitoring of e-mail and phone calls. They DO care very much when it comes to sensitive issues, like terrorism. Why should Thailand be denied the right to protect its royal institution if it thinks it's vital to its national security?

We don't claim the west doesn't care, leaders are by nature fascist in their attempt to control the population.

It doesn't excuse what is going on here however.

[jayboy]

Thaksin, if he ever comes back, will most certainly completely overhaul the country, the "president of the Republic of Thailand" allegation must be taken seriously by security agencies here.

This was one of the more hysterical allegations made by PAD.Anyway those jokers have had their day.

More generally the charge of republicanism was flung at Thaksin as an attempt to enflame popular passions on a highly sensitive issue against a background of popular disillusion at the stale authoritarian feudal set up.The manoeuvre is pathetically transparent and based on the arrogant assumption that most Thais are such fools they don't see through this lie.They're not and they do.

Interestingly the wiser heads in the establishment who want no truck with Thaksin also recognise the charge is nonsense.

[Wiresok]

What a joke this fourth world shambles is.

Did all those young allied servicemen and women really sacrifice their lives so the likes of Ms nobody, whoever she is, can enjoy her free speech, by trying to deny others their free speech.

Little Ms nobody, and a few others, would better spend her time reading the history books , tending the allied war cemetries, and fighting the ridiculous child poverty , than playing this LM nonsense.

[Maestro]

A post in violation of forum rule #2 and the replies to it have been deleted. This thread is now closes as it went to far off topic and seems to have run its course.

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Maestro