Thai cops question UK journalist’s wife over ‘royal insult’

BANGKOK: Thai police yesterday questioned the wife of a British journalist over his social media links to unflattering photos allegedly of the kingdom's crown prince, in a country where insulting the royals carries heavy jail terms.

Detectives said the photos shared by former Bangkok-based correspondent and strident Thai monarchy critic Andrew MacGregor Marshall were fake and violated the kingdom's royal defamation law.

Yesterday Marshall's wife, 39year- old Noppawan Bunluesilp, was taken into police custody in Bangkok and released after several hours of questioning over her husband's social media posts from the day before.

“She was released,” Thitirat Nongharnpitak, commander of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), said after the interrogation, adding that officers did not find any grounds to charge her with a crime.

Her husband's Facebook and Twitter posts linked to a web article in German tabloid Bild with photos apparently showing 63-year- old Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn at an airport in Germany.

Under Thai law each count of lese majeste – insults, threats or defamation of Thailand's leading royals – carries up to 15 years in jail.

“The pictures were doctored,” Thitirat told AFP ahead of the questioning.

“The culprit is Andrew MacGregor Marshall who has violated lese majeste laws for several years,” he said, adding “he has acted from overseas to attack” the royal family.

Marshall is an outspoken critic of the Thai monarchy and has written a book on the subject which is banned inside the kingdom.

He regularly posts commentary on social media that would be swift grounds for prosecution inside the kingdom. – AFP