Australian man jailed for 3 years due to offensive chapter in a novel.
He only got 3 years! He didnt say anything too bad then. :D 😉
There was a Swiss guy sentenced to 10 years in Thailand for drawing moustaches on pictures of the king one drunken night. He got out after 3 months because the King pardoned him on his(the kings) birthday. I dont have a news blog on it handy. I think I will Google insulting the Thai king criminals and see what gets coughed up.
Last time I was in Thailand I was being distracted by my daugher and did not notice that everybody had stood up. A police man sternly ordered me to stand up which I did. Later he gave me a smiling thank you for standing up. I found out afterwards that an Ode to the King had been playing. Makes me wonder what would have happened if I had refused to stand.
Reply to this The king did the same for a Swiss man given a 10-year sentence two years ago for defacing his portrait.
Ah, they mention the Swiss guy in the news link Ali posted.
Reply to this Does anyone know if the Australian guy was living in Thailand when he got arrested or did he just go there for a holiday and end up staying longer than he thought he would?
Reply to this Yes i rember visting the imax at the siam towers in Bangkok and having to stand for the national anthem while they showed pictures of the king on the screen, it was different for sure, Afterwards i heard that they dont play films till evryone stands for the anthem including farangs.....no mention of arrests though?
Mike😊
Reply to this Afterwards i heard that they dont play films till evryone stands for the anthem including farangs.....no mention of arrests though
So, if I had felt like being difficult and not standing, I could have held up the starting of the fireworks display at the Kwai river bridge for a few hours. :D
Reply to this He'd been there for several years - teaching English - wrote the book whilst there; sold 7 copies - attracting the attention of the state - and was arrested when he came to leave.
I haven't seen any follow up of this as yet - and as the king is not in the best of health - there might not be the traditional royal reprieve.
Reply to this Here is what the
Foreign Prisoners Support Services report about the situation. Their reports are usually detailed because they are in contact with the families of prisoners and the consulates and those who visit the prisoners.
TravelBlog members can probably visit him or write to him(be careful what you say in your letters if you do) too if they want. There will be information on the above site about which prison he is in.
Reply to this Even though the King himself has said he should not be above criticism, the police feel the need to investigate every complaint, fearful that dismissing even the most trivial cases might be considered disrespectful.
From the same link as in Msg 9.
At least the king himself has some common sense.
Reply to this That's good news - seemed a complete over-reaction - glad he's out of the Bangkok Hilton.
Reply to this Those Thai prisons are so over crowded, which makes them even more miserable than the third world dungeons they are designed to be. Pity they dont solve the overcrowding problem by pardoning and deporting all the foreign prisoners.
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