Academics from four Thai universities are holding a discussion on the lese majeste law on 21-22 March at Thammasart University. Details are available here. This is a rare event with several panels, some high profile speakers and various points of view represented. Hopefully it will encourage ongoing public discussion of the law. If anyone attends the event, or part of it, we would love to receive a report.
Debate on lese majeste
March 20th, 2009 by Andrew Walker · 5 Comments
Tags: LMreform · Thailand · lese majeste
5 responses so far ↓
1 Sidh S. // Mar 20, 2009 at 5:48 pm
This is certainly a positive local development – the only way LM reform must be worked out, transparently and participatively from within Thai society. At the very least, this abuse of LM by Thai elites in their Red-Yellow civil war must end. On the other hand, this effort must not be prioritized over the more critical reforms needed for the practical working of Thai democracy.
The fact that the event is being organized and will occur this weekend already says a lot about freedom of speech and critical discourse, at least in Thai academia on the matter, contrary to the many harsh, extreme and unfair commentaries (”no democracy”, “banning of opposing viewpoints”). Ofcourse if the meeting suddenly gets raid by policemen or participants gets slapped with LM that would be unfortunate (but, on the other hand, catalyst for real change from within – not the flee and attack from abroad tactics of PMThaksin/AjarnGiles, the boss of the Reds and its self-proclaimed intellectual mouthpiece).
My previous fear was that AjarnGile’s action has derailed the process as his extreme republican sentiments has clearly provided the more conservative elements in Thai society (often working in security agencies it seems) with ample ammunition to shoot down any progressive move. A fear also expressed in the comment section in Prachatai:
http://www.prachatai.com/05web/th/home/comment.php?mod=mod_ptcms&ContentID=15924&SystemModuleKey=HilightNews&System_Session_Language=Thai
#8
ถ้าใครมีแนวคิดเอียงไปทางด้านปฏิรูป
ก็จะถูกตราหน้าว่าไม่จงรักภักดีจากกลุ่มอนุรักษ์รวมทั้งรัฐบาลและอำมาตย์ทันที
และกลุ่มนี้ก็จะออกมาต่อต้านการปฏิรูปทุกรูปแบบ
เหตุผลเดิมคือมีวาระซ่อนเร้นเพื่อหวังเปลี่ยนแปลงการปกครองและทำลายระบอบกษัตริย์
..ได้แต่วิงวอนให้ทุกฝ่ายโปรดใช้วิญญาณประชาธิปไตยรับฟังแล้วคิดวิเคราะห์เหตุ-ผลให้รอบด้านกรุณาอย่าใช้อคติมาตัดสินความคิดที่เห็นต่าง..ขอให้ประเทศไทยจงเจริญ
2 khamala // Mar 20, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Do you need to register to go to the debate tomorrow? Otherwise I’d go…
3 Mike W. // Mar 29, 2009 at 1:40 am
No debate, just observation…
Les Majeste laws do not exist in most of the world, so many Foreign tourists are unfamiliar with the concept and people do make mistakes.
As a Foreign resident, what often startles me is how a high placed Thai person, like a former Prime Minister, can openly commit Les Majeste and not be challenged or punished, but a tourist, who doesn’t know about the law, is arrested and severely punished…
Mr. Shin (awat) is a prime example. He openly overrode the King’s needs, remained PM, and even now has a large following..
Another example are the crimes related to illegal visas. Most foreigners cannot read Thai and do not know what a proper Visa looks like, so are easily misled and cheated by visa services and corrupt immigration officials.
However, who is arrested for the invalid stamp, or the perceived Les Majeste – the innocent Foreigner who was completely unaware that anything was wrong…
4 John Francis Lee // Mar 29, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Gordon’s royal deal
…We enjoy some features of a democracy, but our constitution is profoundly undemocratic. It is “not worth the paper it’s not written on” according to one MP. It is one of the least intelligible, least democratic and least accountable constitutions in the democratic world.
The institution itself is damaging to those caught up in it as well as to our democracy. Constitutionally, it has abdicated responsibility for power. For most of the time the Queen is both powerless and pointless.
There is a cosy arrangement in place that allows the government of the day to exercise the Queen’s power in return for political support for the monarchy. Officials use euphemisms to hide the true nature of this deal – they say the Queen acts “on the advice of the prime minister”, meaning she does what she is told. We hear debate about the “royal prerogatives”, which can be more accurately described as “prime ministerial powers”.
The one good thing about this Commons debate is that it raises for many some serious and searching questions about what the monarchy is about…
Would his article be considered an act of lèse–majesté in Thailand?
5 John Francis Lee // Apr 1, 2009 at 1:11 am
The Bangkok Post is shocked! and outraged! that freedom of speech and thought are being trampled on… elsewhere.
UN votes for censorship
It is no surprise that a group which includes countries that flaunt their disgust for human rights would trample on freedom of speech and thought. But it is worrying that such a prohibition should gain international currency without stronger opposition. As they always do, the supporters of a foul-smelling package wrapped it up in perfumed paper.
Their headband may read “Press” but their coattails read “Kick Me!”.
In the supreme act of self-parody they include a cartoon burlesquing themselves.
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