Yellow Shirt activist Sondhi sentenced to 2-years in prison

[Lite Beer]

Yellow Shirt activist Sondhi sentenced to 2-years in prison
By English News

BANGKOK, Oct 1 – Thailand's Appeals Court today sentenced political firebrand Sondhi Limthongkul to two years in jail for repeating a lese majeste statement earlier made by a Red Shirt political activist.

The court’s verdict overruled an earlier ruling by the kingdom's Criminal Court which acquitted him of the charge.

In a lawsuit against Mr Sondhi, Thailand's Attorney General said the high-profile leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) made the libelous statement against the monarchy during a political rally in Bangkok in 2008.

He repeated a statement made by another activist, Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, also known as 'Da Torpedo,' during a rally at Sanam Luang, the country's traditional venue for protest. The statement attacked the monarch and Ms Daranee is now serving her jail term.

The court said Mr Sondhi did not have to disclose full details of Ms Daranee’s words during the rally since some people did not know the context of her verbal attack.

The Thai public became aware of Ms Daranee’s anti-monarchical statement from Mr Sondhi’s disclosure which sparked widespread criticism and which negatively affected the monarchy, according to the charges.

Mr Sondhi was initially sentenced to three years in jail, but the sentence was reduced by one-third to two years.

Mr Sondhi’s lawyer, Suwat Apaipak, submitted a Bt300,000 bond to bail him. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-10-01

[Thai at Heart]

Soooooo absurd.

Was the statement deemed illegal when he said it?

[Mosha]

Soooooo absurd.

Was the statement deemed illegal when he said it?

Justice PTP style.

[AleG]

Now that's ironic.

[FarangTalk]

A delicious irony.

Let's enjoy it for a few moments until the realisation he won't spend a day actually in jail kicks in.

[Local Drunk]

Speech and opinions here are legal or illegal depending on who is pointing the finger, and who is sitting on the Judaical bench. Lese Majeste is a bit like Samuel Johnson's saying; "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

Edited October 1, 2013 by Local Drunk

[Thai at Heart]

Soooooo absurd.

Was the statement deemed illegal when he said it?

Justice PTP style.

The whole lese majeste thing is nonsense. Will the woman sue sondhi for copyright on her statement also. Repeating a statement before it is deemed illegal is illegal?????????????

How did the person who made the charge relate it to the policeman? Hope they didn't say it because they could be charged also......

Edited October 1, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[hammered]

It is going to be interesting to see if he gets bail. The red lot don't ever get it.

Edited October 1, 2013 by hammered

[Lite Beer]

One Post Removed. Please be careful.

2) Not to express disrespect of the King of Thailand or anyone else in the Thai royal family, whether living or deceased, nor to criticize the monarchy as an institution. Speculation, comments and discussion of either a political or personal nature are not allowed when discussing HM The King or the Royal family. Discussion of the lese majeste law or lese majeste cases is permitted on the forum, providing no comment or speculation is made referencing the royal family. To breach this rule will result in immediate ban.

[billd766]

It is going to be interesting to see if he gets bail. The red lot don't ever get it.

Really?

You speak with a forked tongue.

How about Jatuporn and all the rest of the ministers and MPs of the PTP.

How about your glorious leader Thaksin Shinawatra, his ex-wife Potjaman.

Would you like more names?

Now if you had said the little unimportant Red Shirts who could be bailed at anytime by the Ministers and MPs of the PTP I would have agreed with you.

[webfact]

LESE MAJESTY LAW
Sondhi convicted for royal offence


Sondhi

BANGKOK: -- Sondhi Limthongkul, former leader of defunct People's Alliance for Democracy has been sentenced to serve two years in jail for offending the monarchy in 2008.

The guilty verdict and sentencing came after the Appeals Court overturned the lower court's verdict of acquittal last year.

The appellate review was based on Sondhi's remarks quoting lese majeste convict Daranee "Da Torpedo" Chanchoengsilapakul.

The appellate decision cited Sondhi's lack of caution in spreading the offending remarks as ground to penalise him.

Sondhi has been granted bail pending the final review by the Supreme Court.


-- The Nation 2013-10-01

[hammered]

Interesting that he got bail

[JAG]

Hoist with his own petard?

Couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke!

[Local Drunk]

Interesting that he got bail

He showed up for sentencing which is a bit more than I can say for a certain Red Bull heir.

[anon467848]

The bail bonds are a joke here... they take no account of the wealth of the person. 300K is petty cash for him, it's probably the same as one of his monthly car payments..

Not much wonder he is smiling, as his lawyers will simply appeal and he won't spend a single day in jail... the hiso's don't do time, it's probably written in the constitution somewhere in very small type

[Thai at Heart]

*OP Deleted*

Not really. He was convicted of repeating a comment made by someone else. I mean honestly, the legal system of Thailand does continue to cover itself in poop. Maybe they should convict everyone who heard it also. Beyond that, what about people who thought about it afterwards. And then, those that tried not to think about it, but inadvertantly, found themselves thinking about it?

Edited October 1, 2013 by Scott

[Thai at Heart]

The bail bonds are a joke here... they take no account of the wealth of the person. 300K is petty cash for him, it's probably the same as one of his monthly car payments..

Not much wonder he is smiling, as his lawyers will simply appeal and he won't spend a single day in jail... the hiso's don't do time, it's probably written in the constitution somewhere in very small type

Stuff the bail bonds. Please tell me how repeating someone else's opinions can be construed as illegal, when those opinions haven't been deemed illegal yet?

Did they handle it like the word Macbeth in the theatre. The play that shall not be named? How on earth did anyone give evidence in the court? Did anyone in the court actually read out what was said? Did they check that no one inside the court felt compelled to repeat what had been said, or in some way had a horrendous revolutionary feeling well up inside them because of the utterance of these words? In fact, how does anyone know that he actually said what he said, since to broadcast it privately would presumably be lese majeste?

This is starting to appear to be the conduct of cult members more than a legal system.

[GarryP]

Yes, bail does not seem to be available for lesser mortals on the same charges.

[kkerry]

Sondhi is out on bail for other charges besides this one. Anyone kept count on just how many years in total he has been sentenced to and the number of cases he is out on bail awaiting appeal for? Must be four at least.

[alanboaty]

Boy, am I glad I wasn't in the courtroom...I have tourette's!

[AloisAmrein]

And such a country names itself a "democracy". Ridiculous.

[Chrisswe]

This man should also have a minimum lifetime or DP for terrorist attacks on Thailand! !

[Colabamumbai]

LESE MAJESTY LAW

Sondhi convicted for royal offence

Sondhi

BANGKOK: -- Sondhi Limthongkul, former leader of defunct People's Alliance for Democracy has been sentenced to serve two years in jail for offending the monarchy in 2008.

The guilty verdict and sentencing came after the Appeals Court overturned the lower court's verdict of acquittal last year.

The appellate review was based on Sondhi's remarks quoting lese majeste convict Daranee "Da Torpedo" Chanchoengsilapakul.

The appellate decision cited Sondhi's lack of caution in spreading the offending remarks as ground to penalise him.

Sondhi has been granted bail pending the final review by the Supreme Court.

-- The Nation 2013-10-01

Not really. He was convicted of repeating a comment made by someone else. I mean honestly, the legal system of Thailand does continue to cover itself in poop. Maybe they should convict everyone who heard it also. Beyond that, what about people who thought about it afterwards. And then, those that tried not to think about it, but inadvertantly, found themselves thinking about it?

And now you have me thinking about it.

[DocN]

Hmmm...caught up in his own witch- hunt?!

Oooooh, the irony!

Anyways: the chances he will serve are snowballinhell- like...

[Minnehaha]

Sondhi is out on bail for other charges besides this one. Anyone kept count on just how many years in total he has been sentenced to and the number of cases he is out on bail awaiting appeal for? Must be four at least.

I was wondering the same thing.

This guy has been through a lot. Remember the mob of assassins who shot up his car with machine guns? He took a bullet glaze across his scull? I seem to recall the bullets were the same ones used in military arms. Given the amount of ordinance that goes missing and his political leanings, it would appear they were not the military. or at least not regular military. or at least serving military.

[webfact]

Thai 'Yellow Shirts' founder convicted of royal slur

BANGKOK, October 1, 2013 (AFP) - A Thai court sentenced the founder of the royalist "Yellow Shirts" to two years in jail Tuesday for defaming the monarchy when he quoted a speech by a political rival.

Sondhi Limthongkul, one of Thailand's most controversial political figures, was convicted under the kingdom's controversial lese majeste rules after prosecutors appealed an earlier acquittal over his remarks made in 2008.

The appeals court rejected the defence's argument that the media mogul had not intended to defame the royal family but wanted to draw the attention of police to the original speech.

Sondhi -- who has described the charges against him as politically motivated -- was released on bail of 500,000 baht ($16,000) pending an appeal at the Supreme Court.

Thailand has seen a series of rival street protests in recent years by the Yellow Shirts and the rival Red Shirts, whose demonstrations in Bangkok in 2010 sparked a military crackdown that left about 90 people dead.

Protests by the Yellow Shirts helped to trigger a coup by royalist generals in 2006 that ousted the Red Shirts' hero, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose sister Yingluck is now prime minister.

In 2010 Sondhi was convicted of defaming Thaksin and handed a six-month suspended jail sentence.

In February last year, the Criminal Court sentenced him to 20 years in prison for corporate fraud in a case dating back to the mid-1990s. He was released on bail pending an appeal.

Sondhi and other Yellow Shirts also face terrorism charges over the occupation of Bangkok's main airports in 2008, which stranded thousands of tourists.

The royal family is a highly sensitive topic in politically turbulent Thailand and insulting the monarchy is a very serious crime punishable by up to 15 years on each count.

The Red Shirt activist whom Sondhi quoted, Daranee Charnchoengsilapakul, was jailed for 15 years in 2011 for her comments, which she made during political rallies.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-10-01

[cup-O-coffee]

One Post Removed. Please be careful.

2) Not to express disrespect of the King of Thailand or anyone else in the Thai royal family, whether living or deceased, nor to criticize the monarchy as an institution. Speculation, comments and discussion of either a political or personal nature are not allowed when discussing HM The King or the Royal family. Discussion of the lese majeste law or lese majeste cases is permitted on the forum, providing no comment or speculation is made referencing the royal family. To breach this rule will result in immediate ban.

And that's a good thing. Imagine being in an Islamic nation and sayng something negative about their invisible friend, Allah. Prison would be the least thing to worry about.

So, it isn't so bad after all. Why these idiots have to push the envelope against the royal family is beyond me. The real arguments lie with Parliament and the things they could do, but don't. Leave the Royals out of it all.

[Local Drunk]

The bail bonds are a joke here... they take no account of the wealth of the person. 300K is petty cash for him, it's probably the same as one of his monthly car payments..

Not much wonder he is smiling, as his lawyers will simply appeal and he won't spend a single day in jail... the hiso's don't do time, it's probably written in the constitution somewhere in very small type alt=clap2.gif width=31 height=25>

So what if it's petty cash for him to make bail. Consider the charge against him, and the ponder the law that put him there.

[GeorgeO]

LESE MAJESTY LAW

Sondhi convicted for royal offence

Sondhi

BANGKOK: -- Sondhi Limthongkul, former leader of defunct People's Alliance for Democracy has been sentenced to serve two years in jail for offending the monarchy in 2008.

The guilty verdict and sentencing came after the Appeals Court overturned the lower court's verdict of acquittal last year.

The appellate review was based on Sondhi's remarks quoting lese majeste convict Daranee "Da Torpedo" Chanchoengsilapakul.

The appellate decision cited Sondhi's lack of caution in spreading the offending remarks as ground to penalise him.

Sondhi has been granted bail pending the final review by the Supreme Court.

-- The Nation 2013-10-01

Not really. He was convicted of repeating a comment made by someone else. I mean honestly, the legal system of Thailand does continue to cover itself in poop. Maybe they should convict everyone who heard it also. Beyond that, what about people who thought about it afterwards. And then, those that tried not to think about it, but inadvertantly, found themselves thinking about it?

It's akin to The Life of Brian, where the guy is to be stoned for saying the word "Jehovah"....!

I wonder how they dealt with the reading of the charge in court...? You are charged with saying something that we cannot say, else we should be stoned too....!

[spermwhale]

A delicious irony.

Let's enjoy it for a few moments until the realisation he won't spend a day actually in jail kicks in.

Yes this is poetic. Despite all the hew and cry and exclamations of feigned offense against people accused of committing les majeste, especially Sondhi's side which has actively prosecuted poor individuals for the same alleged offenses, I doubt we'll hear a peep out of these yellow-shirt hypocrites. (Don't think I'm a shill for the gangster red shirt squad that's running the government now. I have the same disregard for both of the shirt-wearers). But that said, this shady "businessman" deserves it. He's a slime-ball and has gotten rich stiffing people he does business with. I can't wait to see what the court does as it's refused bail even to Uncle SMS who was jailed while battling stage 4 cancer and died in jail because they failed to extend him any medical care. They didn't want to let him out because he was a "flight risk."

The point is, and as many scholars have pointed out, this law needs to go. In this case he just quoted somebody who was later accused of les majeste and he too gets nailed. The law has been used by both of the main parties to go after rivals and shut them up. This country would be better off without this medieval law, that stifles free speech in a country already stifling with humidity. Something smells bad in BKK.

Edited October 1, 2013 by spermwhale