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| King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand presided over a boat race in 2008 while the dog he rescued from an alley, Tongdaeng, sat at his feet.CreditChaiwat Sardyaem/Bangkok Post, via Agence France-Presse |
By THOMAS FULLER
DEC. 14, 2015
NY Times
BANGKOK — Insulting the king of Thailand is a grave crime. Disparaging his dog can also result in criminal charges that carry 15 years in prison, according to a case brought in a Thai military court on Monday.
A Thai factory worker was charged with having made a “sarcastic” Internet posting related to the king’s pet. He was denied bail.
He also faces separate charges of sedition and of insulting the king. In a measure of what has become a feverish campaign to protect the monarchy and rebuff critics of the country’s military rulers, the factory worker, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, could face a total of 37 years in prison for his social media posts.
The precise insult toward the royal canine was not divulged by the military, according to the suspect’s lawyer, Anon Numpa.
Mr. Anon, who has dealt with many cases involving royal insults, said the boundaries of what has been considered lèse-majesté, as royal insults are known, have been expanding drastically in recent years. Last year, a prominent scholar was accused of insulting a king who died 400 years ago.
The law says that it applies to anyone who specifically defames the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent, but Mr. Anon said he was incredulous that it could be broadened to include a household pet.
“I never imagined they would use the law for the royal dog,” he said. “It’s nonsense.”
The next legal step, the lawyer said, would be his client’s indictment, but he added that no time frame had been set by the authorities.
Mr. Thanakorn was arrested at his home in a Bangkok suburb last week and had not been seen again until his arraignment on Monday. Among other charges, he is accused of sharing on Facebook allegations of corruption in the military’s construction of a monument to previous kings.
The royal dog in question is Tongdaeng, or Copper, who is universally known and widely loved in Thailand.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, who is also beloved and is ailing in a Bangkok hospital, rescued the mongrel from an alley, raised her and in 2002 wrote a best-selling book about her. The Thai news media use the polite honorific “khun” to describe the dog, a term that roughly translates to ma’am.
The book describes Tongdaeng as a “respectful dog, with proper manners.” The king appeared to intend it as an allegory about the importance of respect and etiquette in changing times.
Tongdaeng “is humble and knows protocol,” the book’s preface says. “She would always sit lower than the king.”
Despite the unusual nature of the charges against Mr. Thanakorn, there was relatively little discussion about the case on Monday on social media, perhaps because of fears that those who highlighted it might also face charges.
Royal insult cases are often highly politicized, and the list of people who have been investigated now includes the American ambassador to Thailand.
The Thai police said last week that the ambassador, Glyn T. Davies, was under investigation after he gave a speech to foreign correspondents praising the king but criticizing the “lengthy and unprecedented prison sentences” handed down by Thai military courts on lèse-majesté charges.
The Thai military seized power in a coup last year and has relentlessly cracked down on challenges to its power, detaining journalists, academics, politicians and students for “attitude adjustment” sessions at military camps. Dissidents are made to sign pledges that allow for financial penalties if they take part in “political activity.”
Criticism by human rights groups and United Nations bodies has been shrugged off by the military government.
In August, a spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights cited the increase in convictions for insulting the king and the increasingly long prison sentences for the charges, reaching several decades.
“We are appalled by the shockingly disproportionate prison terms,” she said.
BANGKOK — Insulting the king of Thailand is a grave crime. Disparaging his dog can also result in criminal charges that carry 15 years in prison, according to a case brought in a Thai military court on Monday.
A Thai factory worker was charged with having made a “sarcastic” Internet posting related to the king’s pet. He was denied bail.
He also faces separate charges of sedition and of insulting the king. In a measure of what has become a feverish campaign to protect the monarchy and rebuff critics of the country’s military rulers, the factory worker, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, could face a total of 37 years in prison for his social media posts.
The precise insult toward the royal canine was not divulged by the military, according to the suspect’s lawyer, Anon Numpa.
Mr. Anon, who has dealt with many cases involving royal insults, said the boundaries of what has been considered lèse-majesté, as royal insults are known, have been expanding drastically in recent years. Last year, a prominent scholar was accused of insulting a king who died 400 years ago.
The law says that it applies to anyone who specifically defames the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent, but Mr. Anon said he was incredulous that it could be broadened to include a household pet.
“I never imagined they would use the law for the royal dog,” he said. “It’s nonsense.”
The next legal step, the lawyer said, would be his client’s indictment, but he added that no time frame had been set by the authorities.
Mr. Thanakorn was arrested at his home in a Bangkok suburb last week and had not been seen again until his arraignment on Monday. Among other charges, he is accused of sharing on Facebook allegations of corruption in the military’s construction of a monument to previous kings.
The royal dog in question is Tongdaeng, or Copper, who is universally known and widely loved in Thailand.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, who is also beloved and is ailing in a Bangkok hospital, rescued the mongrel from an alley, raised her and in 2002 wrote a best-selling book about her. The Thai news media use the polite honorific “khun” to describe the dog, a term that roughly translates to ma’am.
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| In 2002, the Thai king wrote a book about his dog Tongdaeng, who is universally known and widely loved in Thailand.CreditSukree Sukplang/Reuters |
Tongdaeng “is humble and knows protocol,” the book’s preface says. “She would always sit lower than the king.”
Despite the unusual nature of the charges against Mr. Thanakorn, there was relatively little discussion about the case on Monday on social media, perhaps because of fears that those who highlighted it might also face charges.
 |
| An animated film, “Khun Tongdaeng: The Inspiration,” was based on the king’s dog.CreditNicolas Asfouri/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
Royal insult cases are often highly politicized, and the list of people who have been investigated now includes the American ambassador to Thailand.
The Thai police said last week that the ambassador, Glyn T. Davies, was under investigation after he gave a speech to foreign correspondents praising the king but criticizing the “lengthy and unprecedented prison sentences” handed down by Thai military courts on lèse-majesté charges.
The Thai military seized power in a coup last year and has relentlessly cracked down on challenges to its power, detaining journalists, academics, politicians and students for “attitude adjustment” sessions at military camps. Dissidents are made to sign pledges that allow for financial penalties if they take part in “political activity.”
Criticism by human rights groups and United Nations bodies has been shrugged off by the military government.
In August, a spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights cited the increase in convictions for insulting the king and the increasingly long prison sentences for the charges, reaching several decades.
“We are appalled by the shockingly disproportionate prison terms,” she said.
