Surely, true magistry....
....puts one above mere criticism.
Amateurs!
If you plan to unleash the snark online over Jubilee weekend, spare a thought for a Thai webmaster Chiranuch Premchaiporn, who has just been sentenced to eight months porridge - thankfully suspended - for online statement deemed harmful to Thailand's monarchy. Campaigners against growing internet censorship in Thailand aren't …
Well if they had the same laws here in the UK then the entire journalist population would be in jail, especially considering the comments made about the Royal Family, we'd have no newspapers at the very least.
The Thai Royals do themselves no favours over this, freedom of expression is fundamental, suppress it and risk revolution.
A revolution? I don't see it happening anytime soon. Blind respect to the Royals is ingrained into the children's mind before they even start to learn the alphabet (yes, the thai language uses an alphabet). They're taught to consider the King as a semigod. It would take quite a few generations for Thais to rise against their monarchy.
Honestly, I'm not so sure Bumiphol so much wants to hold on to these insane lese-majeste laws himself. Well, for once he's in such a bad shape that he probably hasn't too many moments of lucidity to think about this. These laws are used by the ruling elite and their ally the Queen to throw opponents into jail whenever they please. The yellows have brought the use of lese-majeste laws to a new level against the leaders of the red movement. Now that the reds are governing the country, they're so anxious of being accused of laxness that they're not helping any move towards something more sensible either. That would too easily be used to raise the people's opinion against them. Catch-22, vicious circle, total nonsense.
AC because I really need.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I did hear this from a Thai friend.
If you attempt to kill the King then 14 members of your family will be executed as well as yourself.
This extends to your grandparents etc. on both mother and father sides. The idea is that if you think that your cousin is plotting treason you will hand him in to the cops.