The crime of lèse-majesté...

[Stogie]

[doug]

(Stogie @ Jan. 20 2009,12:16) Hard to believe he did not see this coming. You simply do not bring up the monarchy at all in Thailand if you are not Thai, even in normal conversation. Any Thai can lodge a heresay complaint against you at any time, you have to be this careful.

Dan, Glendale

Whenever a story like this appears, there's always some barstool-expert (twat) who starts spouting off about how "Thais can do whatever the fuck they like to farang and you can't do a damn thing about it, so watch your back!"

Utter bullshit.

Yeah, I guess Thais can do whatever they like to TWATS and get away with it because they are TWATS, and thus probably deserving it.

But for the average person, the likelihood of running afoul of the lese majeste laws is about nil. For example, I bring up the King all the time in normal conversation and nobody has ever "lodged a hearsay complaint" against me, but then again, I'm not a MORON.


I mean, the notion that a Thai could lodge a hearsay complaint against a farang is patently ridiculous. NO Thai would EVER do such a thing, since in order to lodge such a complaint, they would have to march into a police station and repeat what you said (which would then make THEM guilty of lese majeste too). I can't seriously imagine any Thai, regardless of class, actually REPEATING something impolite about the royal family. The concept just doesn't compute.

What the idiot in the article did was he thought he could WRITE DOWN his opinions of the King's personal life, and get away with it. In other words, a Thai doesn't have to say anything to the police about it, they just show it to them!

I can't think of any lese majeste case EVER that was based on the word of one Thai vs. a farang. It just ain't going to happen. The only cases I've ever heard about are the ones where some idiot wrote an article or posted something on the internet, or like that one drunken idiot Swede up in Chiang Mai who took a spray-paint can to a portrait of the King in a public intersection.

In other words, the only people who ever get tripped up by these laws are MORONS. Anyone with two ounces of common sense has nothing to worry about.

For example, if you want to talk about the King with a Thai person, you might stick to historical or "public knowledge" details. For example, the King is an accomplished jazz composer and photographer. Surely that can be discussed without giving offense. Likewise, you might discuss the "great kings" of the Chakri dynasty (it's always fun to quiz Thai people on that, because half of them can't remember their grade school civics lessons, just like us!).

Just avoid "rumors" that you heard about the King, his son, or the King's late brother. Those topics are strictly "Thai-only". You won't get arrested for TALKING about them, but you are very likely to accidentally offend someone.

Another thing to avoid is talking about what the King "should do" in a given situation (for example talking about what the King "should do" to help resolve political tensions in Thailand). It's impolite to presume that you can tell the King what he should and should not do.

Simple. It's not rocket science.

[Lefty]

(Ivor Biggun @ Jan. 20 2009,08:56) I loved the comments on justice from those living in a country that has incarcerated people for up to 7 years without trial.

We're not all that narrow minded here Ivor. Though the absence of due process and Habeas Corpus rights for the Gitmo detainees is something most Americans turn a blind eye to.

As for the idiot mentioned in the post #1, he got what he deserved. "When in Rome do as the Romans do". If foreign people do not like the Thai mores or at least do not care to abide by them, then stay the fuck out of Thailand or risk the consequences.

[Lefty]

(ciobha @ Jan. 20 2009,15:27)

(Road Runner @ Jan. 21 2009,02:43) PS. berfore our Irish friends comment - I could use any example - but this is the only one I have information on. Besides I'm 1/16th Irish myself!

So you have a bit of Irish in you RR.

Is it Bigmick?

I think a very high pct of white Americans have a good bit of Irish blood in their veins. We are darned proud of it too.

Are you saying Bigmick's Little Mick would equal 1/16 of Bigmick as a whole?

[janabiyah]

Every country has laws that are difficult to understand.

In the US a girl who helped a critically sick asthma patient by lending her an inhaler was prosecuted for illegal dispensation of a prescription drug.

A rape victim in Saudi Arabia was jailed and the rapists set free

Passengers travelling through Dubai airport have been jailed for having a codeine pill on their possession

Corrupt bankers who stole millions (in most jurisdictions) are enjoying the fruits of their crimes with no fear of trial or incarceration

Shall I go on?