Thai man faces jail for insulting king’s dog
BANGKOK: A Thai faces prison after being charged for insulting the king’s dog, his lawyer said on Tuesday, in an escalation of the already draconian royal defamation law.
Thanakorn Siripaiboon, 27, has been charged by police with lese majeste (crime of violating the majesty) for a “satirical” Facebook post about the king and his dog, lawyer Pawinee Chumsri said.
“There was a post including three photos on his Facebook page on December 6 with a message that sati rised the king’s dog,” she said.
Thanakorn also faces sedition and computer crimes charges for clicking “like” on a doctored photo of the king and sharing it, plus an infographic on a growing corruption scandal.
Thailand has one of the world’s harshest royal defamation laws. Anyone convicted of insulting the revered but ailing 88 year old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, or the queen, heir or regent can face up to 15 years in jail on each count.
Thanakorn, an auto-parts worker, could face up to 37 years in prison.
Bhumibol, the world’s longest-serving monarch, is seen as a unifying figure and his economic and social teachings are relentlessly promoted in Thailand