Thomas Fuller at the New York Times has an account of the conviction for lese majeste of Yoswaris Chuklom or Jeng Dokchik. Fuller begins: “It has become almost routine in Thailand for judges to hand down jail sentences to those convicted of offending the country’s king.”
In fact, it is not “almost routine.” It is not just routine, it is an essential requirement in the maintenance of the royalist state and the privileges that state doles out to the elite. Fuller goes on to note that yesterday’s verdict was “… an unusual ruling … [that] appears to considerably broaden the interpretation of Thailand’s already restrictive lese majesté law.”
The reason for this is that Jeng was sentenced to two years in jail after the “court ruled that the defendant was liable not only for what he said, but for what he left unsaid.” Fuller observes:
The criminal court’s ruling said the defendant … had not specifically mentioned the king when he gave a speech in 2010 to a large group of people who were protesting a military-backed government of the time.
But by making a gesture of being muzzled — placing his hands over his mouth — Mr. Yossawarit had insinuated that he was talking about the king.
Jeng’s lawyer points out that this judgment “appears to have been the first time that someone was convicted for implying an insult…. There was no mention of the king’s name in the speech…. It’s all interpretation.”
The court ruled that Jeng must have meant the king when he refused to speak the words. Remarkably, the NYT report indicates that people “with no apparent connection to the case were called to the stand and asked to whom they thought Mr. Yossawarit was referring. All of the witnesses said the king.” This is quite amazing and even bizarre stuff!
Many Thais use various, often derogatory, terms to refer to the (now apparently unmentionable) royals because of the fear induced by the lese majeste law and its enforcement by police and (kangaroo) courts. That threat and resulting fear has now been ratcheted up to by several degrees.
[…] [4] https://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/on-implied-lese-majeste/ […]
[…] wishes to draw attention to a recent blog post at Siam Voices on the “implied lese majeste” conviction of Yoswaris Chuklom or Jeng Dokchik. Amongst several important points made, this […]
[…] wishes to draw attention to a recent blog post at Siam Voices on the “implied lese majeste” conviction of Yoswaris Chuklom or Jeng Dokchik. Amongst several important points made, this […]
[…] recently seen the definition of what constitutes a crime under lese majeste extended to include implied lese majeste. In a couple of days, one of the most high-profile cases comes to court for sentencing. Somyos […]
[…] recently seen the definition of what constitutes a crime under lese majeste extended to include implied lese majeste. In a couple of days, one of the most high-profile cases comes to court for sentencing. Somyos […]
[…] suit the ultra-royalists like the lot who run the courts handing out enormous sentences for, say, words unspoken, fictional accounts of royals or political speeches. As we browsed accounts of Thai-style democracy […]
[…] suit the ultra-royalists like the lot who run the courts handing out enormous sentences for, say, words unspoken, fictional accounts of royals or political speeches. As we browsed accounts of Thai-style democracy […]
[…] as being “culturally appropriate.” The idea that two men are sentenced for things they didn’t say and articles they didn’t write is probably causing them to squirm in their bespoke suits and […]
[…] activists as being “culturally appropriate.” The idea that two men are sentenced for things they didn’t say and articles they didn’t write is probably causing them to squirm in their bespoke suits and Thai […]
[…] recently seen the definition of what constitutes a crime under lese majeste extended to include implied lese majeste. The high-profile case of Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, jailed since 30 April 2011, continued through […]
[…] recently seen the definition of what constitutes a crime under lese majeste extended to include implied lese majeste. The high-profile case of Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, jailed since 30 April 2011, continued through […]
[…] so there is no need to respect speech. Or even silence if it comes from anti-coup protesters or from lese majeste convicts who said nothing but still got dragged off to prison. Yes, it’s […]
[…] so there is no need to respect speech. Or even silence if it comes from anti-coup protesters or from lese majeste convicts who said nothing but still got dragged off to prison. Yes, it’s […]