Prachatai reports another long-delayed lese majeste case. It states that Yutthaphum (family name withheld) aged 35 and from northeastern Srisaket province has been accused of lese majeste by his brother.
The older brother claims Yutthaphum committed acts against the monarchy in late August 2009 but only made a complaint to police a year later. The case came to light when Yutthaphum was “denied bail by the court for the second time since he was detained pending trial last month.” In other words, it took two years for the case to be processed. He reported to the police on 19 November 2010, and denied all charges. He was indicted on 19 Sept 2012, since when he has been detained at Bangkok Remand Prison.
On 24 October, the Criminal Court rejected this second bail request “citing the severity of the alleged offences concerning national security and flight risk.” This is the usual fabricated claim by the court in lese majeste cases.
Yutthaphum reportedly “told the court in his bail request that he and his brother had had quarrels and disputes over their family business.” His brother accuses him of “inappropriate remarks or curses” after watching the television news showing the king in a wheelchair. The bother alleges that some “5 days later, he brought a CD on which was written the lines ‘Stop offending HM the King’ and ‘Newin asks Thaksin’, and wrote inappropriate words in parenthesis after the first line. His brother brought the CD to the police as evidence.”
Yutthaphum, accused of lese majeste in a family and essentially private setting, is due in court on 12 November 2012.
