Thailand: Blogger detained on lese majeste charge

08 Aug 2011

Norawase Yospiyasathien, a university graduate and blogger, was detained on Friday while police investigate allegations of lese majeste — offending the Thai monarchy. According to online newspaper Prachatai police are scrutinising his blog posts. The person who filed the charge was said to be a vice rector for students affairs at Kasetsart University, who reportedly said he was pressed to do so by the University Council in a bid to protect the school’s reputation. The student could be charged under both lese majeste law, which carries a maximum 15-year jail term, and the Computer Crimes Act, which has a punishment of up to five years in jail.

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  1. Devin

    August 16, 2011 at 18:52

    It is sad that the vice rector at a university (a place meant to be for the open discussion of ideas) was the one who ended up bringing charges against the student. Foreign academics writing about Thailand should make note of the fact that there is still strong censorship within Thai academia. It is also really disappointing that the new government led by Yingluck Shinawatra apparently has no intention of reforming the law.

    Another sad case is Joe Gordon, the US citizen recently charged under Article 112 (lese-majeste) for simply posting a link on a blog. The fact that Thailand considers him a Thai citizen might mean he’s less likely to receive a royal pardon (often given to foreigners convicted of lese-majeste). Any foreigners who run into trouble in Thailand with lese-majeste should immediately contact their embassy and hire a Thailand Lawyer that takes non-Thai cases.

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