18 December 2015•Update: 18 December 2015
BANGKOK
An international human rights group is calling on Thailand's junta to stop what it considers arbitrary use of the country's lese majeste law after a factory worker was charged with insulting the King’s favorite dog.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement Friday that charges brought against the man illustrate the junta’s misuse of laws intended to protect the monarchy.
On Dec. 14, police -- at the junta's request -- police filed "insulting the monarchy" charges against Thanakorn Siripaiboon in Bangkok Military Court for what were considered disparaging remarks about Thong Daeng -- King Bhumibol Adulyadej's copper-colored mongrel.
The dog is a highly revered member of the royal household, and has featured in a book -- written by the monarch in 2002, in which he praises her as "humble" and "respectful" -- and an animated film, which has become the second-highest grossing movie in the kingdom this year.
The 27-year-old is accused under section 112 of the Penal Code of spreading “sarcastic” Facebook images and comments deemed to be mocking the animal.
He also faces sedition charges for sharing a diagram about alleged graft by the military at a park honoring Thai kings.
“The charges against Thanakorn show the Thai junta’s ever tightening chokehold on free expression in the name of protecting the monarchy,” said Brad Adams, the organization’s Asia director.
“The abuse of lese majeste law has reached the absurd with the prosecution of a factory worker for allegedly offending the monarchy by insulting the king’s dog.”
If found guilty of all charges, the court could sentence Thanakorn to up to 37 years in prison.
Junta leader-cum-Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha has made lese majeste prosecutions a top priority for his government.
Since the May 2014 coup, at least 56 lese majeste cases have been brought, 43 of which were against individuals for online commentary.
In a Dec. 9 interview, Maj. Gen. Wicharn Jodtaeng, chief of the military's National Council for Peace and Order’s Legal Office, said that commenting, sharing, or pressing “Like” on Facebook contents that the authorities consider offensive to the monarchy would be prosecuted as lese majeste.
“The heavy-handed enforcement of lese majeste laws is crushing freedom of expression in Thailand,” Adams said Friday.
“A serious discussion is urgently needed to amend the law and reconsider how it is enforced so that it conforms with Thailand’s international human rights obligations.”
