You can leave, lese majeste suspects told
Thai police chief offers air ticket out to those who insult royals
BANGKOK: As the government began a hunt for lese majeste fugitives abroad, national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said insulting the monarchy would not be tolerated and outbound air tickets were offered to people who wanted to commit such crimes.
“I don’t know why people want to insult the monarchy. How can a human being think about that and do such a thing during this time of grieving? If they don’t want to live in Thailand, they should go abroad,” he told reporters. “For the sake of the nation’s (security), I am willing to go into debt, owing money to pay for air tickets for those people.”
The government has launched a campaign to hunt for lese majeste fugitives as well as to take steps to prevent people overseas from engaging in what it regards as insulting the monarchy.
Talking about the monarchy has been especially provocative since wide political divisions opened more than a decade ago, with royalists saying they believed their opponents wanted to discredit the monarchy and some members of the Royal Family for political gain.
Authorities have prosecuted many people on lese majeste charges while others have escaped prosecution by leaving the country.
The government has expressed concern that discussions about the monarchy following the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on on Oct 13 could get out of hand.
Many people overseas have posted criticism of and speculation about the institution of the monarchy on the Internet and via social media.
Police have charged more than 20 people for insulting the monarchy since the passing of the King, alleging improper or defamatory posts on social media. Many people’s social media feeds are under close surveillance.
Chakthip said police had notified Interpol to take legal action against people who insulted the monarchy from overseas, but he declined to give further details.