Fiery, emotional talk on lese-majeste

A recent forum to discuss the case of former the 'Voice of Taksin' editor brought back the debate on the controversial law and the often ambiguous standards behind its use

Published: 3 Feb 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

An emotionally charged forum on the lese majeste law and particularly the case of former Voice of Taksin editor Somyot Prueksakasemsuk raised a host of issues surrounding the legislation and its enforcement.

V FOR VANQUISHED: Somyot Prueksakasemsuk before the verdict was delivered in his case at the Criminal Court last month.

The discussion, held at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Thursday, was a deeply personal one for those in attendance, particularly Sakanya Prueksakasemsuk, the wife of Somyot who was sentenced late last month to 10 years in prison for publishing two articles deemed insulting to the monarchy. Also on the panel was Chiranuch Premchaiporn, director of Prachathai.com, who had her own experience with the law after being handed a suspended sentence last year for lese majeste-related charges under the Computer Crime Act.

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bobby2000
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Discussion 5 : 03 Feb 2013 at 16.325
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In the year 2013 I believe people should be civilized enough to discuss politics in a peaceful and respectful manner. Why do some intolerant groups still believe that those who do not share their particular opinions should be imprisoned?
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jck
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Discussion 4 : 03 Feb 2013 at 15.494
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“Somyot was presented at court in heavy shackles, transported hundreds of kilometres to various provinces for hearings headed by several different judges and allowed only limited access to family and lawyers.” Disgraceful treatment by any standards for a non-violent “crime”. Was murderer Kamnan presented in court in shackles?
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felixqui
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Discussion 3 : 03 Feb 2013 at 15.003
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Under censorship, comment is not possible, so errors cannot be corrected, so only ignorance is certain, so of what worth can opinion be?

The results of decades of strictly enforced ignorance and unreason are plain to see in Thailand's economic, social and political plight, in all of which areas it should be far more developed. That it is not is plainly to the detriment of the Thai people, who deserve a chance to speak, to reason and to know about things that matter very much to them and their lives.
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rockderk
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Discussion 2 : 03 Feb 2013 at 09.372
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It is not possible to comment on this subject.
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oldairman
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Discussion 1 : 03 Feb 2013 at 08.081
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But Somyot did knowingly print the articles, not once but twice and he must have understood what could happen.
If he published twice without punishment how many more times would he have done it. To say that former PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair under the pseudonym of Jit Polachan actually wrote means nothing. Somyot was the one that printed it and if he didn't read and understand it before printing it then he was guilty of little more than stupidity. If he did read, understand and print it then nobody else is to blame.
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Fiery, emotional talk on lese-majeste | Bangkok Post: opinion