From Nick Nostitz:
From the Bangkok Post:
Chiranuch Premchaiporn, webmaster of independent Thai online news portal Prachatai, was granted bail this afternoon after prosecutors eventually filed a lawsuit against her under the Computer Crimes Act. Ms Chiranuch had to wait nearly four hours before bail was approved with a 300,000 baht bond, calculated on her salary as a nursing sister, for not removing commens posted on a web-board deemed offensive to the monarchy fast enough to satisfy the government censors. The Criminal Court set May 31 for the first hearing to check defence and prosecution witness lists. She is accused of allowing lese majeste comments on Prachatai’s online discussion board. If convicted she faces up to 50 years’ imprisonment. She was first arrested in March last year at a time when the government was very touchy about references to the monarchy. The cyber law, which was introduced during the administration of Gen Surayud Chulanont, was first successfully prosecuted against blogger Suvicha Thakor, who received a 20-year sentence in April last year. He has applied for a royal clemency and is waiting for the result. At least six other people have been arrested under this law, but prosecutors have yet to arraign them.
Absolutely disgusting!
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If I’m her, I would start finding my way out of this god forsaken country.
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Here is another victim from this inhumane law. Thailand is the only country on earth with a Lese Majeste law which shut people from speaking the truth. For god sake, 50 years for speaking against something. Come on, some homicide case get only 10-15 years in jail. Is insulting someone more severe than killing a fellow human? I cannot believe this nonsense.
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The powers-that-be are building their own guillotine with this law.
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It is so good that domino No 4 was saved from communist rule via supporting dictators because it has led to a loca savage tyranny far worse than civilized French colonial rule
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Maybe NM could contact Thailand’s Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM (The United Nations Development Fund for Women) for a comment on Jiranuch’s case:
http://www.saynotoviolence.org/around-world/news/princess-bajrakitiyabha-mahidol-thailand-receives-unifem-award
Besides her busy duties protecting women in Thailand according to Wikipedia she also likes to “reach out to Thai women in carceration” and “enhance the lives of female inmates”.
Well the liberal use of the lese majeste law these days ought to be keeping her busy.
(btw, re. the award she recently received, one wonders how the United Nations could actually know if this woman has done a good job “protecting” women in Thailand when criticism of her work would be forbidden under lese majeste).
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Recieved via email:
Another Arrest in Thailand for Lese Majeste. Bangkok: At around 5PM today Thai police raided and arrested a 38-year-old Thai man, alleged to help spreading information demeaning to the King of Thailand and his family. This adds to an increasing number of such case in a country believed to be in love of its King with true heart and not by the fear of law. Tantawut Taweewarodomkul or Noom, alias Red Eagle, was arrested at the Assagan condominium in Pathum Thani, a Bangkok suburb province. He was accused of affiliating with a website program called “Thailand’s Way out” or “Tang-ok Pratetthai”, said to be aired on the websites “www.norporchorusa.com” and “www.norporchorusa2.com”, as well as the People Channel.
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FYI
The PEOPLE’S ALLIANCE FOR DEMOCRACY has returned to the political stage and will be a force to be reckoned with. We are witnessing the resurrection of truth, justice and freedom. Our meritorious amart must be allowed to guide this country forward.
Check out this link:
http://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news.php?id=255304020028
However, I find myself in a bit of quandary. What am I to do with all of my yellow-hued clothing now that my royalist comrades have opted to wear pink? Why does the PAD keep on selecting effeminate colors to represent our righteous movement? Why can’t the PAD leadership choose something more masculine?
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50 years’ imprisonment for not removing offensive comments fast enough … just let that concept sink in for a few moments.
Stalinism for the 21st century, in the Land of Smiles.
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What’s the punishment for the doctor who murdered his wife? yeah you got release because he is a “doctor”. I dont know how Thai judge can live with themselves.
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In many other countries, similar abuses of flawed laws have provoked organized civil responses. Let me ask two questions that would help me understand why nothing of the sort seems to be happening in Thailand.
1. Does anyone know how many lese majeste cases were dropped by the police, and, more crucially, what happens to complainants of spurious accusations?
2. Is there anything in Thai statute that would criminalize the registering of baseless or insubstantial accusations of lese majeste? If a Thai citizen were to file charges against someone on the basis of hearsay (or other insubstantial evidence), would they face any sort of consequences?
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Tantawut Taweewarodomkul or Noom, alias Red Eagle could be facing a big sentence. My wife, a yellow shirt, when accessing http://www.norporchorusa.com was in a state of apoplexy. Does anyone know any background to the agenda and authors of this site?
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FYI: http://www.norporchorusa.com is blocked by MICT and TOT here in Thailand. BTW: so is the thaicrisis blog on wordpress.
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Benny – they want revolution, many people there used to be the survival of 1976 massacre and still hold a bit grudge against the establishment, the reason why Thailand has flood and follow by drought the next month, the media self censor, the 30 minutes propaganda, or the whole reason to discredit the poor from voting because they are stupid are the result of the establishment doing and people there want to put a stop to it.
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Thai government/ISPs has started blocking targeted page(s) in Facebook inside Thailand. This is change to one week ago. I was fearing they might block the whole address but at least they this time manage to block only the group page.
Asia Sentinel is annoyingly blocked every second day with every time different looking block page. It is actually quite funny to see what image they are using this time.
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The may 31st hearing has passed this link has some information
http://www.seapa.org/
“The Criminal Court set the trial’s first hearing on 4 February 2011, even as the Court approved the prosecution’s 14 witnesses and the defense’s 13 witnesses in today’s pre-trial session.”
Looks like she is going to be kept in limbo for some time.
“The first set deals with conventional crimes committed online, like illegal access to data, spamming, and others. It is the second set that has become controversial, particularly Section 14, because not only does it contain offenses already covered by the Thai Penal Code (under Section 112), it also carries harsh penalties. Under Section 14, offenses against national security like lese majeste are included. Critics claim that Thai authorities always invoke violations of lese majeste via Section 14 in dealing with Internet users and Internet service providers (ISPs).”
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