Rights group criticizes Thai monarchy laws after lengthy sentence

[News_Editor]

Rights group criticizes Thai monarchy laws after lengthy sentence

2011-12-04 18:16:38 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- Human Rights Watch on Saturday called on the Thai government to amend the laws intended to protect the monarchy after a 61-year-old man was sentenced to prison for sending text messages deemed offensive.

The New York-based rights group said that the case of Ampon Tangnoppakul, who was sentenced to 20 years last month for sending four text messages considered offensive to the Thai King, illustrates the 'misuse' by successive Thai governments of laws intended to protect the monarchy.

The messages were sent in May 2010 by Tangnoppakul to a private secretary of Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was at the time the prime minister. He was arrested on August 3 of last year after a complaint was made by the secretary, although the actual contents of the messages have not been revealed.

"The severity of penalties being meted out for lese majeste offenses in Thailand is shocking," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The new government seems to be responding to questions about its loyalty to the monarchy by filing countless lese majeste charges."

Since Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took office in August, the government has allegedly led a campaign against alleged violations of lese majeste. Minister of Information and Communications Technology Anudith Nakornthap previously warned that using the "Like" or "Share" features of the social networking website Facebook could be considered a criminal offense if the content is deemed lese majeste.

However, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej has in the past publicly stated that he is not above criticism. In his 2005 birthday speech he said he must also be criticized. "I am not afraid if the criticism concerns what I do wrong, because then I know," he said. "Because if you say the King cannot be criticized, it means that the King is not human. If the King can do no wrong, it is akin to looking down upon him because the King is not being treated as a human being. But the King can do wrong."

Human Rights Watch, which said the laws place 'unnecessary restrictions' on freedom of expression, urged the Thai government to release information about anyone who has been arrested, charged or convicted of lese majeste.

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