Supreme Court grants bail to redshirt activist Jeng Dokjik

[Lite Beer]

Supreme Court grants bail to redshirt activist Jeng Dokjik

BANGKOK: -- The Supreme Court today granted bail to redshirt activist Yosawaris Chuklom, or widely known as Jeng Dokjik, after he was sentenced to serve two years in prison on lese majeste charge.

The court did not set condition for release to grant him bail on the surety of 700,000 baht.

He will be released Tuesday after signing the bail agreement at the Criminal Court.

The Appeals Court upheld the two-year prison term handed down by the Criminal Court with no suspension of sentence to Jeng Dokjik on May 1 this year for breaching Article 112 of the Criminal Law by making an inflammatory speech on the stage during the red-shirt rally at Makkawan bridge on March 29, 2010.

He appealed the sentence to the Supreme Court and later was granted bail.

(Photo : ThaiPBS File)

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/supreme-court-grants-bail-redshirt-activist-jeng-dokjik/

-- Thai PBS 2014-09-22

[BigBadGeordie]

Justice for all, or perhaps not, we shall see?

[Keesters]

Flight risk?

Maybe he'll join that other Thai who has a two-year prison sentence waiting to be served.

[tbthailand]

wow, is this a first?

they never grant bail for LM

[Roadman]

But, but....the courts are controlled by the Junta who is out to get only

the Reds

[Keesters]

But, but....the courts are controlled by the Junta who is out to get only

the Reds

Well it's about time somebody got them.

[englishoak]

wow, is this a first?

they never grant bail for LM

Wouldnt say 700k is a low amount for a paltry LM case tho, consider Sondhi the biggest fraud here in history yet bailed for just 12m assets assurance....

[tbthailand]

wow, is this a first?

they never grant bail for LM

Wouldnt say 700k is a low amount for a paltry LM case tho, consider Sondhi the biggest fraud here in history yet bailed for just 12m assets assurance....

how much is not so much the question.

LM cases are rarely granted bail - really rarely. I can't think of another case at the moment where the courts granted bail but can think of multiple examples of (crazy) bail denials.

[airconsult]

wow, is this a first?

they never grant bail for LM

Wouldnt say 700k is a low amount for a paltry LM case tho, consider Sondhi the biggest fraud here in history yet bailed for just 12m assets assurance....

how much is not so much the question.

LM cases are rarely granted bail - really rarely. I can't think of another case at the moment where the courts granted bail but can think of multiple examples of (crazy) bail denials.

You forgot Sondhi was convicted of LM last year - and granted bail.

[Robby nz]

Don't understand why he was given bail.

He was found guilty then appealed to the appeal court which upheld the sentence.

He then appealed to the supreme court which has also upheld the sentence.

Is there another court he is on bail to appeal to ?

If not then as the sentence has been confirmed why is he loose.

Should also be noted that he has terrorism charges still to be heard against him for his part in the red riots.

[whybother]

Wouldnt say 700k is a low amount for a paltry LM case tho, consider Sondhi the biggest fraud here in history yet bailed for just 12m assets assurance....

how much is not so much the question.

LM cases are rarely granted bail - really rarely. I can't think of another case at the moment where the courts granted bail but can think of multiple examples of (crazy) bail denials.

You forgot Sondhi was convicted of LM last year - and granted bail.

Sondhi was granted the 12 mil bail for fraud charges. http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/sondhi-limthongkul-two-associates-freed-bail-supreme-court/

He is on bail pending appeal for the Lese Majeste case (quoting "Da Torpedo" on stage in 2008). He was acquitted in 2012 and convicted on appeal in 2013, which he is currently appealing. He is (reportedly) on 500K bail.

http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/decidedcases/sondhi-limthongkul/

http://asiancorrespondent.com/113942/ex-yellow-shirt-leader-sondhi-found-guilty-of-insulting-thailands-monarchy/

[whaddya]

Don't understand why he was given bail.

He was found guilty then appealed to the appeal court which upheld the sentence.

He then appealed to the supreme court which has also upheld the sentence.

Is there another court he is on bail to appeal to ?

If not then as the sentence has been confirmed why is he loose.

Should also be noted that he has terrorism charges still to be heard against him for his part in the red riots.

His case has not been heard by the Supreme Court yet.

He was initially found guilty on January 27, 2013 by the Criminal Court and sentenced to prison.

His appeal of that sentence to Appeals Court failed and that Court upheld his conviction last May.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/appeals-court-upholds-2-year-prison-term-redshirt-activist-jeng-dokjik/

He is currently appealing that conviction to the Supreme Court. That case is ongoing and he has been given bail during this appeal.

In addition to aforementioned terrorism charges, the Red Shirt's other criminal history is a lengthy one with, for example, a previous bail revocation after he was found having the intention to "create disturbance and harm" to Constitution Court judges and their families by announcing their phone numbers and addresses at a frenzied Red Shirt rally.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Court-revokes-bail-of-Jeng-Dokjik-30188850.html

[tbthailand]

wow, is this a first?

they never grant bail for LM

Wouldnt say 700k is a low amount for a paltry LM case tho, consider Sondhi the biggest fraud here in history yet bailed for just 12m assets assurance....

how much is not so much the question.

LM cases are rarely granted bail - really rarely. I can't think of another case at the moment where the courts granted bail but can think of multiple examples of (crazy) bail denials.

You forgot Sondhi was convicted of LM last year - and granted bail.

I remember Sondhi being convicted of corruption and being granted bail, but not LM... I'll have to look again.

seriously, though, they keep essentially all LM cases locked up with crazy justifications. The 2 students arrested post-coup from the Wolf's Bride play last year are still locked up. Just as an example.

[rubl]

how much is not so much the question.

LM cases are rarely granted bail - really rarely. I can't think of another case at the moment where the courts granted bail but can think of multiple examples of (crazy) bail denials.

You forgot Sondhi was convicted of LM last year - and granted bail.

I remember Sondhi being convicted of corruption and being granted bail, but not LM... I'll have to look again.

seriously, though, they keep essentially all LM cases locked up with crazy justifications. The 2 students arrested post-coup from the Wolf's Bride play last year are still locked up. Just as an example.

Strictly speaking the application of the law on LM hasn't changed much over the years. As such it's not related to the coup.

I do hope though that a new constitution will be somewhat more modern in relation to LM.

[tbthailand]

how much is not so much the question.

LM cases are rarely granted bail - really rarely. I can't think of another case at the moment where the courts granted bail but can think of multiple examples of (crazy) bail denials.

You forgot Sondhi was convicted of LM last year - and granted bail.

I remember Sondhi being convicted of corruption and being granted bail, but not LM... I'll have to look again.

seriously, though, they keep essentially all LM cases locked up with crazy justifications. The 2 students arrested post-coup from the Wolf's Bride play last year are still locked up. Just as an example.

Strictly speaking the application of the law on LM hasn't changed much over the years. As such it's not related to the coup.

I do hope though that a new constitution will be somewhat more modern in relation to LM.

I hope so too

The reference to post-coup is to provide a timeframe compared to the play which was in 2013 - in fact about 1 year before being arrested.

So for a year, these dangerous thespians were roaming the countryside and now that they are in jail for LM, bail is denied.

As for people in jail for LM, and application of the law post-coup, I would beg to differ as the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled.

[ThailandNoob]

how much is not so much the question.

LM cases are rarely granted bail - really rarely. I can't think of another case at the moment where the courts granted bail but can think of multiple examples of (crazy) bail denials.

You forgot Sondhi was convicted of LM last year - and granted bail.

I remember Sondhi being convicted of corruption and being granted bail, but not LM... I'll have to look again.

seriously, though, they keep essentially all LM cases locked up with crazy justifications. The 2 students arrested post-coup from the Wolf's Bride play last year are still locked up. Just as an example.

Strictly speaking the application of the law on LM hasn't changed much over the years. As such it's not related to the coup.

I do hope though that a new constitution will be somewhat more modern in relation to LM.

You say you support the coup, but Prayuth has made it very clear that he wants the LM laws enforced more strictly.

Sent from my IS11T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[rubl]

Strictly speaking the application of the law on LM hasn't changed much over the years. As such it's not related to the coup.

I do hope though that a new constitution will be somewhat more modern in relation to LM.

I hope so too

The reference to post-coup is to provide a timeframe compared to the play which was in 2013 - in fact about 1 year before being arrested.

So for a year, these dangerous thespians were roaming the countryside and now that they are in jail for LM, bail is denied.

As for people in jail for LM, and application of the law post-coup, I would beg to differ as the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled.

Although I normally tend to near blindly accept whatever you say, I do have some doubts on the correctness of this last statement of yours.

Now we have to be a bit careful with LM, but I think it should be no problem if you post some proof of this statement " the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled"

[rubl]

Strictly speaking the application of the law on LM hasn't changed much over the years. As such it's not related to the coup.

I do hope though that a new constitution will be somewhat more modern in relation to LM.

You say you support the coup, but Prayuth has made it very clear that he wants the LM laws enforced more strictly.

Sent from my IS11T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I've gone on record saying to regret it (i.e. the coup) was necessary.

Now please explain your question, assuming the reply is such rather than some suggestive and false statement.

Edited September 24, 2014 by rubl

[whybother]

I hope so too

The reference to post-coup is to provide a timeframe compared to the play which was in 2013 - in fact about 1 year before being arrested.

So for a year, these dangerous thespians were roaming the countryside and now that they are in jail for LM, bail is denied.

As for people in jail for LM, and application of the law post-coup, I would beg to differ as the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled.

Do you have any links for "nearly quadrupled"? It's not that I don't believe it has, it's just that I'd like to see more information about them.

I don't like the LM laws. I think they do more damage than good. It's difficult to discuss the pros and cons of the laws, without possibly crossing the line even if you don't really say anything about what you shouldn't say anything about.

But, having said that, one of the reasons that LM charges went up after the coups (both this and the previous one), and also when the Democrats got into power, is because people (ie red shirts) are making speeches trying to link the military or the Democrats to the monarchy. Now of course, that *can't* be true, so that gets more people into trouble. When one of Thaksin's parties are in power, the yellow shirts aren't talking about the monarchy (except for how good they are). They are talking about Thaksin. So are the red shirts. So the LM breaches and charges drop during that time.

Regardless of what you think about either side, LM charges go up because people are talking about "it". If people were saying exactly the same things while a Thaksin party was in power, they would still be charged. But they're not saying it then, so there aren't the same number of charges.

[fab4]

Strictly speaking the application of the law on LM hasn't changed much over the years. As such it's not related to the coup.

I do hope though that a new constitution will be somewhat more modern in relation to LM.

I hope so too

The reference to post-coup is to provide a timeframe compared to the play which was in 2013 - in fact about 1 year before being arrested.

So for a year, these dangerous thespians were roaming the countryside and now that they are in jail for LM, bail is denied.

As for people in jail for LM, and application of the law post-coup, I would beg to differ as the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled.

Although I normally tend to near blindly accept whatever you say, I do have some doubts on the correctness of this last statement of yours.

Now we have to be a bit careful with LM, but I think it should be no problem if you post some proof of this statement " the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled"

Well you could read the Amnesty International report and satisfy yourself. Actually, didn't you say that you had read that report, IIRC?

[tbthailand]

answering R and W : I doubt that I can post a link but generally, as Fab4 mentioned, AI is the source for most of the counting. Others are also actively tracking LM cases.

Regarding nearly quadrupled, pre-coup there were 6 people (known) to be in prison for LM, currently (within the last week) the count was 22. Just a few weeks before it was 20, so (sadly) I am just waiting a couple of weeks for 2 more and we'll be at a dead-even 4x.

For W - no, it is actually not just because more people are talking about it, but because more people are being charged. Almost every case I can think of since the coup has been a case which occurred well before the coup - the BKK taxi driver who had a conversation with a spineless royalist about inequality in Thai society. That was in January. The cab fare recorded the conversation and filed for charges just after the coup. The 2 students in the play - that was a year ago. The guy who sent a link to a website via email - that is new, but the event was in 2010 and the web site no longer even exists.

LM is spiking because it is a political tool, not because more people are violating Article 112.

But hey, as long as you don't do anything wrong, Art 112 is not a problem, right?

[rubl]

Strictly speaking the application of the law on LM hasn't changed much over the years. As such it's not related to the coup.

I do hope though that a new constitution will be somewhat more modern in relation to LM.

I hope so too

The reference to post-coup is to provide a timeframe compared to the play which was in 2013 - in fact about 1 year before being arrested.

So for a year, these dangerous thespians were roaming the countryside and now that they are in jail for LM, bail is denied.

As for people in jail for LM, and application of the law post-coup, I would beg to differ as the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled.

Although I normally tend to near blindly accept whatever you say, I do have some doubts on the correctness of this last statement of yours.

Now we have to be a bit careful with LM, but I think it should be no problem if you post some proof of this statement " the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled"

Well you could read the Amnesty International report and satisfy yourself. Actually, didn't you say that you had read that report, IIRC?

Well, I may have missed it, but nowhere do I see a confirmation of tbthailand's statement. Your suggestion that I might just find it in the A.I. report is also incorrect.

Reluctantly I seem to have to come to the conclusion that you both are into obfuscation and a liberal interpretation of numbers as usual.

PS show me the sentence in the A.I. report where it says "the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled" and I apologise of course.

[rubl]

answering R and W : I doubt that I can post a link but generally, as Fab4 mentioned, AI is the source for most of the counting. Others are also actively tracking LM cases.

Regarding nearly quadrupled, pre-coup there were 6 people (known) to be in prison for LM, currently (within the last week) the count was 22. Just a few weeks before it was 20, so (sadly) I am just waiting a couple of weeks for 2 more and we'll be at a dead-even 4x.

For W - no, it is actually not just because more people are talking about it, but because more people are being charged. Almost every case I can think of since the coup has been a case which occurred well before the coup - the BKK taxi driver who had a conversation with a spineless royalist about inequality in Thai society. That was in January. The cab fare recorded the conversation and filed for charges just after the coup. The 2 students in the play - that was a year ago. The guy who sent a link to a website via email - that is new, but the event was in 2010 and the web site no longer even exists.

LM is spiking because it is a political tool, not because more people are violating Article 112.

But hey, as long as you don't do anything wrong, Art 112 is not a problem, right?

BS aside, I suggest you read the A.I. report. Even from my Internet connection in Thailand I could find and copy it.

Nowhere does it say what you claimed "the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled".

Of course you seem to have missed the references to "The 2005 Emergency Decree [162], I, 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA) and Article 112 of the Penal Code – Thailand’s ‘lèse majesté’ law" and "Over the last nine years, restrictions have increasingly been imposed"

[tbthailand]

answering R and W : I doubt that I can post a link but generally, as Fab4 mentioned, AI is the source for most of the counting. Others are also actively tracking LM cases.

Regarding nearly quadrupled, pre-coup there were 6 people (known) to be in prison for LM, currently (within the last week) the count was 22. Just a few weeks before it was 20, so (sadly) I am just waiting a couple of weeks for 2 more and we'll be at a dead-even 4x.

For W - no, it is actually not just because more people are talking about it, but because more people are being charged. Almost every case I can think of since the coup has been a case which occurred well before the coup - the BKK taxi driver who had a conversation with a spineless royalist about inequality in Thai society. That was in January. The cab fare recorded the conversation and filed for charges just after the coup. The 2 students in the play - that was a year ago. The guy who sent a link to a website via email - that is new, but the event was in 2010 and the web site no longer even exists.

LM is spiking because it is a political tool, not because more people are violating Article 112.

But hey, as long as you don't do anything wrong, Art 112 is not a problem, right?

BS aside, I suggest you read the A.I. report. Even from my Internet connection in Thailand I could find and copy it.

Nowhere does it say what you claimed "the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled".

Of course you seem to have missed the references to "The 2005 Emergency Decree [162], I, 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA) and Article 112 of the Penal Code – Thailand’s ‘lèse majesté’ law" and "Over the last nine years, restrictions have increasingly been imposed"

BS aside? Rubl, really?

So, ...

Why would you seemingly assume that I had not read the AI report when I mention that AI is one source for counting cases and there are others.

The increase in the number of people in prison since the coup was not a number directly from AI, although AI has reported that 14 new cases had been brought since the coup.

Given the rapid increase in cases, the numbers change every month. Current number of people incarcerated for LM in Thailand is 22. Before the coup, that was 6.

The military junta defends this number by saying these were all due to events and cases which occurred before the coup (which rebuts Whybother's speculation about the cause).

While it is true that most if not all the current cases are for events that occurred before the coup, that doesn't actually mean anything regarding LM charges. Unlike, say a burglary, LM is a "violation" for which charging a person is purely a voluntary act, a choice, a decision. In addition, the violation is itself is not based on the act, but on the interpretation of the act. Were the students in "The Wolf's Bride" committing LM?

As an example, the case of Jeng, he was convicted not because he actually said something about the monarchy, but because the court believed that he was implying something about he monarchy.

[rubl]

answering R and W : I doubt that I can post a link but generally, as Fab4 mentioned, AI is the source for most of the counting. Others are also actively tracking LM cases.

Regarding nearly quadrupled, pre-coup there were 6 people (known) to be in prison for LM, currently (within the last week) the count was 22. Just a few weeks before it was 20, so (sadly) I am just waiting a couple of weeks for 2 more and we'll be at a dead-even 4x.

For W - no, it is actually not just because more people are talking about it, but because more people are being charged. Almost every case I can think of since the coup has been a case which occurred well before the coup - the BKK taxi driver who had a conversation with a spineless royalist about inequality in Thai society. That was in January. The cab fare recorded the conversation and filed for charges just after the coup. The 2 students in the play - that was a year ago. The guy who sent a link to a website via email - that is new, but the event was in 2010 and the web site no longer even exists.

LM is spiking because it is a political tool, not because more people are violating Article 112.

But hey, as long as you don't do anything wrong, Art 112 is not a problem, right?

BS aside, I suggest you read the A.I. report. Even from my Internet connection in Thailand I could find and copy it.

Nowhere does it say what you claimed "the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled".

Of course you seem to have missed the references to "The 2005 Emergency Decree [162], I, 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA) and Article 112 of the Penal Code – Thailand’s ‘lèse majesté’ law" and "Over the last nine years, restrictions have increasingly been imposed"

BS aside? Rubl, really?

So, ...

Why would you seemingly assume that I had not read the AI report when I mention that AI is one source for counting cases and there are others.

The increase in the number of people in prison since the coup was not a number directly from AI, although AI has reported that 14 new cases had been brought since the coup.

Given the rapid increase in cases, the numbers change every month. Current number of people incarcerated for LM in Thailand is 22. Before the coup, that was 6.

The military junta defends this number by saying these were all due to events and cases which occurred before the coup (which rebuts Whybother's speculation about the cause).

While it is true that most if not all the current cases are for events that occurred before the coup, that doesn't actually mean anything regarding LM charges. Unlike, say a burglary, LM is a "violation" for which charging a person is purely a voluntary act, a choice, a decision. In addition, the violation is itself is not based on the act, but on the interpretation of the act. Were the students in "The Wolf's Bride" committing LM?

As an example, the case of Jeng, he was convicted not because he actually said something about the monarchy, but because the court believed that he was implying something about he monarchy.

Pointers, pointers, who needs pointers when we have a tbthailand telling us all. Almost like we're supposed to believe anything the NCPO tells us.

[fab4]

answering R and W : I doubt that I can post a link but generally, as Fab4 mentioned, AI is the source for most of the counting. Others are also actively tracking LM cases.

Regarding nearly quadrupled, pre-coup there were 6 people (known) to be in prison for LM, currently (within the last week) the count was 22. Just a few weeks before it was 20, so (sadly) I am just waiting a couple of weeks for 2 more and we'll be at a dead-even 4x.

For W - no, it is actually not just because more people are talking about it, but because more people are being charged. Almost every case I can think of since the coup has been a case which occurred well before the coup - the BKK taxi driver who had a conversation with a spineless royalist about inequality in Thai society. That was in January. The cab fare recorded the conversation and filed for charges just after the coup. The 2 students in the play - that was a year ago. The guy who sent a link to a website via email - that is new, but the event was in 2010 and the web site no longer even exists.

LM is spiking because it is a political tool, not because more people are violating Article 112.

But hey, as long as you don't do anything wrong, Art 112 is not a problem, right?

BS aside, I suggest you read the A.I. report. Even from my Internet connection in Thailand I could find and copy it.

Nowhere does it say what you claimed "the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled".

Of course you seem to have missed the references to "The 2005 Emergency Decree [162], I, 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA) and Article 112 of the Penal Code – Thailand’s ‘lèse majesté’ law" and "Over the last nine years, restrictions have increasingly been imposed"

BS aside? Rubl, really?

So, ...

Why would you seemingly assume that I had not read the AI report when I mention that AI is one source for counting cases and there are others.

The increase in the number of people in prison since the coup was not a number directly from AI, although AI has reported that 14 new cases had been brought since the coup.

Given the rapid increase in cases, the numbers change every month. Current number of people incarcerated for LM in Thailand is 22. Before the coup, that was 6.

The military junta defends this number by saying these were all due to events and cases which occurred before the coup (which rebuts Whybother's speculation about the cause).

While it is true that most if not all the current cases are for events that occurred before the coup, that doesn't actually mean anything regarding LM charges. Unlike, say a burglary, LM is a "violation" for which charging a person is purely a voluntary act, a choice, a decision. In addition, the violation is itself is not based on the act, but on the interpretation of the act. Were the students in "The Wolf's Bride" committing LM?

As an example, the case of Jeng, he was convicted not because he actually said something about the monarchy, but because the court believed that he was implying something about he monarchy.

Pointers, pointers, who needs pointers when we have a tbthailand telling us all. Almost like we're supposed to believe anything the NCPO tells us.

said rubl, not obfuscating (a current favourite) whilst ignoring the fact that whilst 6 cases before the coup and another 16 in just 4 months, is not exactly quadrupling the number of cases of LM and therefore in his world can be safely ignored, it does represent a sizeable jump and, like the abhisit governments handling of LM cases in the past, could be construed as using LM "politically" and not in the manner it was meant to be applied.

[rubl]

BS aside, I suggest you read the A.I. report. Even from my Internet connection in Thailand I could find and copy it.

Nowhere does it say what you claimed "the number of people in prison for LM since the coup has nearly quadrupled".

Of course you seem to have missed the references to "The 2005 Emergency Decree [162], I, 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA) and Article 112 of the Penal Code – Thailand’s ‘lèse majesté’ law" and "Over the last nine years, restrictions have increasingly been imposed"

BS aside? Rubl, really?

So, ...

Why would you seemingly assume that I had not read the AI report when I mention that AI is one source for counting cases and there are others.

The increase in the number of people in prison since the coup was not a number directly from AI, although AI has reported that 14 new cases had been brought since the coup.

Given the rapid increase in cases, the numbers change every month. Current number of people incarcerated for LM in Thailand is 22. Before the coup, that was 6.

The military junta defends this number by saying these were all due to events and cases which occurred before the coup (which rebuts Whybother's speculation about the cause).

While it is true that most if not all the current cases are for events that occurred before the coup, that doesn't actually mean anything regarding LM charges. Unlike, say a burglary, LM is a "violation" for which charging a person is purely a voluntary act, a choice, a decision. In addition, the violation is itself is not based on the act, but on the interpretation of the act. Were the students in "The Wolf's Bride" committing LM?

As an example, the case of Jeng, he was convicted not because he actually said something about the monarchy, but because the court believed that he was implying something about he monarchy.

Pointers, pointers, who needs pointers when we have a tbthailand telling us all. Almost like we're supposed to believe anything the NCPO tells us.

said rubl, not obfuscating (a current favourite) whilst ignoring the fact that whilst 6 cases before the coup and another 16 in just 4 months, is not exactly quadrupling the number of cases of LM and therefore in his world can be safely ignored, it does represent a sizeable jump and, like the abhisit governments handling of LM cases in the past, could be construed as using LM "politically" and not in the manner it was meant to be applied.

A.I. Thailand: Attitude Adjustment - 100 Days Under Martial Law

"Individuals charged or under investigation with lèse majesté’ (section 112 of the Criminal Code): 14"

Over the last nine years, restrictions have increasingly been imposed on the right to freedom of expression through the passing of laws that restrict this right in a manner incompatible with the ICCPR and the enforcement of pre-existing legislation. The 2005 Emergency Decree162, I, 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA) and Article 112 of the Penal Code – Thailand’s ‘lèse majesté’ law – have been used to shut down television and radio stations, block thousands of websites [163], imprison individuals for posting public information on websites and hold intermediaries responsible for content posted by web users."

"On 17 July 2014, the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Amnuay Nimamno informed Amnesty International that there were 23 lèse majesté cases during 2013-14, with eight associated with crimes under the CCA. He did not specify if the cases were initiated or pending during this period. In May 2014, seven persons were serving prison sentences on lèse majesté related charges."

Now returning to the OP, we have a red-shirt activist freed on bail.

[whybother]

answering R and W : I doubt that I can post a link but generally, as Fab4 mentioned, AI is the source for most of the counting. Others are also actively tracking LM cases.

Regarding nearly quadrupled, pre-coup there were 6 people (known) to be in prison for LM, currently (within the last week) the count was 22. Just a few weeks before it was 20, so (sadly) I am just waiting a couple of weeks for 2 more and we'll be at a dead-even 4x.

For W - no, it is actually not just because more people are talking about it, but because more people are being charged. Almost every case I can think of since the coup has been a case which occurred well before the coup - the BKK taxi driver who had a conversation with a spineless royalist about inequality in Thai society. That was in January. The cab fare recorded the conversation and filed for charges just after the coup. The 2 students in the play - that was a year ago. The guy who sent a link to a website via email - that is new, but the event was in 2010 and the web site no longer even exists.

LM is spiking because it is a political tool, not because more people are violating Article 112.

But hey, as long as you don't do anything wrong, Art 112 is not a problem, right?

It increased by 16 and you know about 4 that were committed before the coup. So that's 12 others. Any idea when they are from or who they are?

I don't really see how it's a political tool when politicians (or those in power) are not the ones using it.

Of course it is more likely that one side will be charged more than the other, but that doesn't make it a political tool.

And, to repeat, I don't like the law. I am not defending it. I am just commenting on your interpretation of how "it is being used".

[Thai at Heart]

Don't understand why he was given bail.

He was found guilty then appealed to the appeal court which upheld the sentence.

He then appealed to the supreme court which has also upheld the sentence.

Is there another court he is on bail to appeal to ?

If not then as the sentence has been confirmed why is he loose.

Should also be noted that he has terrorism charges still to be heard against him for his part in the red riots.

That sir, is definitely one for the legal scholars here to work out.

Bailes for an offence for which he had run out of appeals. This really is a "get out of Jail free card"

[ThailandNoob]

Strictly speaking the application of the law on LM hasn't changed much over the years. As such it's not related to the coup.

I do hope though that a new constitution will be somewhat more modern in relation to LM.

You say you support the coup, but Prayuth has made it very clear that he wants the LM laws enforced more strictly.

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I've gone on record saying to regret it (i.e. the coup) was necessary.

Now please explain your question, assuming the reply is such rather than some suggestive and false statement.

If you believe the coup "was necessary", then you support it.

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