Thailand’s Lèse Majesté Law

Long live His Majesty King Bhumibol!

I felt that this post is going to need such a qualifier. I previously lived in Thailand in 2008 as a volunteer worker with an NGO. I love Thailand: the people, the culture, the food. I hope to return there one day, and it would not do me any good to be deported or, worse, arrested and sent to prison for saying something bad about the Thai monarchy. So I will say it again: long live His Majesty King Bhumibol!

Despite being a constitutional monarchy since 1932, the Thai Royal Family still holds a prominent spot in the country’s political affairs. The monarchy is nothing more than a figurehead at this point, but it has often intervened during periods of political instability – such as the country’s myriad military coups – to provide a mediating voice for the nation’s actors to resolve their differences.

I have argued in the past that the monarchy’s importance was greatly reduced during the “Red Shirt” street protests which rocked the country in 2010 in which more than 100 people were killed. His Royal Highness, perhaps weakened by old age, did not comment much on the situation and, when he did, was largely ignored by everyone.

The King is beloved by virtually all of his subjects due to his overwhelming benevolence and generosity. However, when I lived in Thailand, the resident director of the organization I was working for warned me and the other volunteers never to say anything negative about the monarchy. This is because Thailand has some of the world’s harshest criminal sentences for violating the country’s lèse majesté laws.

For example, my fellow volunteers and I were told that should a situation arise where the wind blows a paper note of money out of your hand, do not attempt to stop it from blowing away by stepping on it with your foot. The Thai baht bills have a picture of His Majesty on the front, and stepping on it with your foot is considered so disrespectful that it can result in the offender spending several years in prison.

Thailand’s lèse majesté laws have returned to public attention in 2011 with two high profile cases. In May, a Thai-American citizen was arrested after he posted a link on his blog to a book which was critical of the monarchy. The man was sentenced to 30 months in prison. The incident earned a sharp rebuke from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.

Then, in November, a 61-year old grandfather was given 20 years for a series of controversial text messages that he had sent the previous year. The man, Ampon Tangnoppakul also known as “Akong” (Thai for Grandpa), became the center of an online campaign organized by Thai journalists and human rights advocates to pressure the monarchy to pardon the elderly and sick man.

King Bhumibol, for his part, has called for more criticism and usually does issue clemency for law violators; it is important to note that the Thai government, not the monarchy, is responsible for bringing charges of lèse majesté up against individuals.

With the abolition of absolute monarchies, lèse majesté laws would seem to fall under the archaic category. However, politicians in Thailand looking to gain public favor by appealing to the sanctity of the monarch have politicized the issue to such a degree that now the world bears witness to outrageous arrests and sentences to people like Akong. Respect for local laws, rules and traditions are an important aspect of cross cultural learning. However, it should not come at the expense of freedom of speech, a basic civil human right in healthy democracies.