The following post is provided by Narisara Viwatchara, who lives in exile after being accused of lese majeste under Article 112 of Thailand’s law:
The lese majeste law is indeed barbaric and contradictory. How could you know the truth when you don’t even know if the one who praises the royals is being truthful?
Praising the royals is the ONLY way for anyone to talk about them openly and without fear of reprisal. If you utter even a slight hint of negativity, it could land you in a Thai jail.
The lese majeste law hinders creativity. Time and again, creative and talented people are thrown in jail for allegedly defaming the monarch. Some two years ago, two university students sentenced to five years in jail for staging a play allegedly defaming an imaginary king!
This despicable law extends beyond Thailand so that the protection of the monarch is universal. It can be used against anyone, anywhere in the world who states anything in a negative tone with references to the monarch, queen, heir apparent and regents, even if such criticism is based on the truth!
No civilized nation should have such a warped law and oppress her people!
I am sure a growing number of the populace now realize that they have been deceived all these years by the royalist elite but they are too fearful to express themselves.
Thais are basically non-violent people. Royalists know this and that may be why they have been able to control the minds of the people for so long. They are not always successful, so the violence of the state backs up their ideological hold.
All of Thailand’s neighbors got rid of their parasitic monarchy a long time ago. So did most other countries in the world.
Thailand must rid of itself of this undemocratic hold on government where the king is the head of state. Thailand must be a republic.
Political Prisoners in Thailand 