By Pei Hu
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand – Suwicha Thakho, a Thai citizen has been sentenced to 10 years in jail under Thailand’s strict lese-majeste laws for insulting the king and his family.

Thakho altered digital images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his family and posted them on the internet.  The Bangkok Criminal Court did not specify how the pictures were changed or where the pictures appeared.  Local newspapers reported that some of the pictures appeared on Youtube.

The Thai court found Thakho guilty of both the lese-majeste law and the Computer Crime Act of 2007, which bars the circulation of material deemed detrimental to national security or causes public panic.

Recently, lese-majeste prosecutions were used more often, where some critics say is to silence the criticism of the eventual transfer to the throne to the crown prince, who is less popular than his father, who is now 81-years old.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and has one of the strictest lese-majeste laws in the world where Thailand’s royal family is sheltered from public debate. Thai lese-majeste law mandates a jail term of 3-15 years for “whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the regent.” Anyone violating the Computer Crime Act can be imprisoned up to 5 years and fined about $2,770 dollars.

Since 2007, officials have blocked more than 5,000 websites for insulting the Thai monarchy. Several people are awaiting trial.

In February, the Thai King pardoned Australian writer Harry Nicolaides who was sentenced to three years in jail for insulting the crown prince in a published book.  The King also pardoned a Swiss citizen who was given a 10-year sentence for defacing the King’s portrait.

Last November, a political activist was jailed for 6 years for an anti-monarchy speech.

For more information, please see:

AP – Man given 10 years for insulting Thai monarchy – 3 April 2009

BBC – Thai man jailed for royal insult – 3 April 2009

Reuters – Thai man gets 10 years jail for insulting monarchy– 3 April 2009