AFP
BANGKOK — A Thai court Friday convicted and sentenced a female "Red Shirt" protester to 18 years in prison for insulting the country's revered monarchy during anti-government rallies, an official said.
Daranee Charncherngsilapakul, 46, a hardcore supporter of Thailand's ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was found guilty of making speeches that were insulting to the Thai royal family.
The judge at Bangkok's main criminal court said her speeches at Sanam Luang park in the capital during three pro-Thaksin rallies in June and July last year were against the law of lese majeste, the court official told AFP.
"The court convicted the defendant on three counts and sentenced her for six years on each count," she said.
"Although the defendant testified that she did not intend to insult the monarchy or make the public believe her, she could not escape her wrongdoing," the verdict said.
Lese majeste -- insulting the monarchy -- is a serious charge in Thailand. Anyone can file a complaint, and police are duty-bound to investigate it in a country where the king is treated with almost religious adulation.
Media watchdogs have criticised increased use of the law in recent months, with crackdowns on Internet freedoms leading to more than 4,800 web pages being blocked under the law since March last year, according to officials.
In April a 34-year-old Thai engineer was jailed for ten years for posting a doctored clip on the Internet.
Daranee is better known as Da Torpedo because of her hard-hitting speeches at political protests.
Her fellow "Red Shirt" demonstrators are planning a mass rally on Sunday but the government has said it will use a harsh internal security law to prevent the gathering.
Daranee Charncherngsilapakul, 46, a hardcore supporter of Thailand's ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was found guilty of making speeches that were insulting to the Thai royal family.
The judge at Bangkok's main criminal court said her speeches at Sanam Luang park in the capital during three pro-Thaksin rallies in June and July last year were against the law of lese majeste, the court official told AFP.
"The court convicted the defendant on three counts and sentenced her for six years on each count," she said.
"Although the defendant testified that she did not intend to insult the monarchy or make the public believe her, she could not escape her wrongdoing," the verdict said.
Lese majeste -- insulting the monarchy -- is a serious charge in Thailand. Anyone can file a complaint, and police are duty-bound to investigate it in a country where the king is treated with almost religious adulation.
Media watchdogs have criticised increased use of the law in recent months, with crackdowns on Internet freedoms leading to more than 4,800 web pages being blocked under the law since March last year, according to officials.
In April a 34-year-old Thai engineer was jailed for ten years for posting a doctored clip on the Internet.
Daranee is better known as Da Torpedo because of her hard-hitting speeches at political protests.
Her fellow "Red Shirt" demonstrators are planning a mass rally on Sunday but the government has said it will use a harsh internal security law to prevent the gathering.
18 comments:
"Thailand" means the land of the FREE. But many Thai people don't know that "Thailand" belongs to the Chakri family members only, and they are FREE to do everything they want to the 65 million Thai people. Thai people are not freed, they are slaves to the Chakry family. For 228 years Thai people remain slaves to Chakry family, the world richest family.
Thai Republic
Abhisit a power grabber came to power through his tactic of "lese Majesty" to prosecute the elected PM and to persecute freedom of speech. He asked to increase to 25 years in jail who insults the richest puppet Bhumibol.
Royals are so weak they need laws to protect them from even a simple criticism.
Kuoy Pichet
Thai royals are weak? They rule Thailand with military junta. In Thailand may look good to outsiders, but the Thai people are kept in dark, they don't know or hear or see what outsiders are doing. Thai people are still crawling to their feet even crawling to their little baby shitting on a diaper.
Most red shirts are very poor and are of Khmer decent.
May Buddha Srey Aar Metria save people to live in peace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htc4PbnssOE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/user/maitreyaproject
The Royal family don't rule the country because they are not involved in politics . Thailand is a Manarchy regime just like Cambodia , the Government runs the country but thai people and Thai Government have too much respect for the King and his family even they are just like us . How can the King go to sleep at night after he knew that the court sent someone to jail for 18 years because they thought her speech was insulting the King ? He should take things into consider because he is just like anyone else on earth .. he is not God . 18 years in prison for insulting the King by talking ?
18 years prison for insult the Thai King by Thai court. 3 months jailed time by Cambodian Court for a Thai citizen, who insulted to Angkor Wat built by late Khmer king. What is a gently slap on his hands.
មិនថាជាប្រជាជនសៀមទេប្រជាជនខ្មែរក៏ឥញ្ចឹងដែរនរណាមួយឲ្យតែមើលងាយដល់ព្រះករុណាក៏
រាជរដ្ធាភិបាលខ្មែរធ្វើដួចជាថៃដែរ។
Chak'kri Die Nasty.
(The descendant of Neay Duong, a Khmer from Kampot Province)
នៅស្រុកខ្មែរគ្មាននរណាមាក់ងាយព្រះករុណាបានទេ គឺមានតែហ៊ុនសែនមួយគត់ដែលហ៊ានប្រមាត
ស្តេច។ កុំជោរមេវា។
To all red shirt people, you must keep fighting until your people are free from Chakry dynasty abusive, current Thai gov't treated red shirt people as slave! while Chakry family or dynasty had multi millions of dollars$$, most red shirt people are poor and hard working people...
This is how Chakri dynasty family did to the "Red Shirt people", treated them like animals slavery....
Red Shirt people must fight back to win your freedom and free from current Thai Gov't's abusive...
talk about oppression! where is democracy?
and they only pick on cambodia this cambodia that!
Abhisit, the power grabber said thanks to his military junta and urged the law makers to increase jail term from 15 years to 25-28 years for "lese majesty".
In Thailand, the military junta, the Thai radical extremists and Chakri family use "Lese Majesty" to persecute freedom of speech.
They owned our country, our freedom and owned our lives.
Looking good from outside, but we live in dungeon. We sold our daughters and sons to be slaves for just to survive.
Thai Rep.
It's ironic that Thailand is the country who's military topple a duly elected PM, and it's Thailand where this 18 year sentence was imposed for just offensive speech. Where's the outcry against Thailand. If this happened in Cambodia, the world would be demanding change. In contrast, Cambodia is a democratically elected government in which the CPP was stronger than ever in the last national election, and that election was adjudged as free and fair by international election observers. Cambodia is a country, unlike Thailand, that has decriminilized Defamation. So in spite of all the criticism, Cambodia has much to be proud of.
Post a Comment