Listening Post - Feature: Thailand's lese majeste law

On December 5, 2012, thousands of Thais gathered in Bangkok to mark the 85th birthday of their monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The monarchy has great importance in Thai life, so much so that a 100-year-old law exists that makes it a criminal offense to say or write anything deemed offensive about the members of the royal family. It is known as Article 112 - the lese majeste law. And it is not just a symbolic relic - it has become a political weapon to be used with increasing frequency. From a handful of cases six years ago, there has been a steep rise as 2010 saw almost 500 cases. The Listening Post's Meenakshi Ravi reports on Thailand's lese majeste problem.

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  News & Politics

[Linghong Hu]

While Mao was still alive, there was a de facto lese majeste law in China. For example, if you sit on a piece of newspaper and Mao's photo was printed on the newspaper, no matter whether the page you sit on or the other pages, you will be jailed. I am glad those days were long gone. Loving the royal family is one thing, living in fear is another thing.

[hoosierhiver]

This could get worse. The king and queen are well respected but very old and in bad health. The prince has a lot of bad rumors surrounding him.

[selfsenter]

So? When the country experiences economic crisis, its not the foreigners who stay in the country and endure it all. Just like when Dubai had a slight real estate bubble collapse. They all took their business, stopped building, took the money and went back to India. Or somethign unexpected like the Kuwait war of the 90's. Who stayed in the country and fought. After the foreigners left, the liberals all ran and the bedoins AKA Texans of Kuwait stood their ground untill uncle Sam arrived.

[djaked]

Hey! You sound just like a Texan! Congratulations man!

[selfsenter]

Yeah and they dont have a UAE passport. We dont nationalize foreigners and dont need to hence they dont have any say in the way the country runs. They come to us because of what is provided in security and stability, not the other way around.

[djaked]

The majority of people in the UAE are Indians. I'm sure they love being under an Arab Muslim minority regime.

[Radu Andrei]

Is anyone really surprised that number one country in pedophilia has these sort of laws and incidents?

[selfsenter]

Then you must think every country with a monarchy don't really like their leader and that's where you are wrong and the reason you are at war in 50 countries and proof of US ignorance in regards to other countries.. I'm not from Thailand but i'm from the UAE and we love our monarch family.

[foresakenlion]

So Commies rose up and their Communist puppet and the Military removed them? Good, they were probably plotting to murder him, like the Communists murdered the heir to Austria-Hungary causing WW I, or their murder of the Czar and the rise of Lenin and Stain that lead to the rise of Hitler and WW II.

[foresakenlion]

Would the Emir of Qatar like the King of Thailand to start addressing him as a ceremonial ruler who should be ridiculed? He could make that happen you're aware Emir of Qatar yes?

[djaked]

That is a blatantly sweeping generalization that I'm astonished you actually believe.

[The00ching00]

Fuck you.