American Arrested for Insulting Thai King
An American citizen has been arrested in Thailand and accused of insulting the country’s monarchy in the latest in a string of cases highlighting the strict and controversial laws protecting the ailing king. The American, Lerpong Wichaicommart, has been charged with using the Internet to disseminate information that insults or threatens the monarchy, the Thai authorities said on Friday. “He violated the law by writing articles and posted them on a Web site,” Tharit Pengdit, the director of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation, said in an interview. Mr. Tharit declined to disclose the contents of the posted material but said the case involved three offenses “which violate state security.”
Mr. Lerpong, 54, is being held without bail. Taken together, the charges against him could add up to a 22-year prison term. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 83, has commanded enormous respect during his six decades on the throne. But he has been hospitalized for the past 20 months, a time of deep political divisions and soul-searching about the monarchy’s future. The country is preparing for parliamentary elections on July 3, and campaigning has underlined the deep political fissures in Thai society.
One of the issues in the campaign is the increasingly aggressive use of the lèse-majesté law, which bans anyone from defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen and crown prince. The military has taken a leading role in bringing charges against suspects in such cases, including leading opposition figures. The Thai authorities have also become more forceful in policing the Internet, with thousands of Web sites shut down in recent years for insults against the royal family. Among the charges against Mr. Lerpong is that he provided a link on a Web site to a digital version of “The King Never Smiles,” a book by Paul M. Handley, an American journalist. The book, published by Yale University Press and banned in Thailand, is a critical look at the reign of King Bhumibol.