Thailand arrests American for alleged king insult

Thailand arrests American for alleged king insult

news.yahoo.com

The 54-year-old Thai-born man lived in the U.S. state of Colorado for around 30 years before returning recently to Thailand for treatment for high blood pressure and gout, the website said. If the allegations are true, the infractions would have been committed while he lived in America — where they are legal — raising concern about the reach of Thai law and how it is applied to Thai nationals and foreign visitors.

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I think this is ridiculous in this day and age.

What I find the most strange about this situation is that Thailand is a very "liberal" country. By this I mean that as long as you are not being violent or obnoxiously drunk, you can do pretty much anything you want in Thailand. But insult the king and "Blammo" up to 15yrs in jail.

I have been to Thailand and I had a great time, the people were all very friendly and helpful. And the food was spectacular ( I know the food is irrelevent to this story but it was really damn good.)

Also it seems this is not the first time this has happened, and is occurring more frequently as of late. I am interested in hearing other people give their opinion on this.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by watchitburn


That's stupid, that king is a jerk! ahh crap now I'm going to get thrown in Thailand prison!

Been to Thailand myself, and i was warned on many occasions to not make any jokes, rude gestures and even refrain from taking pictures of the monarchy. They say this to you not for fear of police action, but they truly do not want you to say anything rude or joke about their beloved king. Thailand is an interesting country... although they have a king, he isnt a dictator. The people absolutely love him and his family (at least from the people I talked to).

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. They have ever right to enforce their laws within their borders. If insulting the Thia king is illegal in Thailand, don't do it.

I'm glad to see the Thia's are taking their traditions and culture seriously.

reply to post by watchitburn


The U.S, Canada, U.K, etc all arrest people for stupid things all the time, this is nothing different.

reply to post by mileslong54

The people absolutely love him and his family (at least from the people I talked to).

Hard to express the opposite when you can get thrown to jail for this. The important lesson is this - monarchy is not as good for individual as democracy. As Churchill said:

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

So i personally will never visit a country with different form of government.

reply to post by watchitburn


book throwing,is right on,,, and he knew what he was doing..was wrong..

good food,, good fun,, good #$@$ with the natives, in Thailand, but they have laws there also..

and he broke MORE- then 3 laws,, he would have been fine, had he stayed HERE..lol

but he went back,, for Cheaper medical treatment... poor S.O.B.

Originally posted by ZeroKnowledge

So i personally will never visit a country with different form of government.

Wow...uh....deny ignorance?

I thought America was a Republic, not a democracy? Oops there goes everything you ever thought was correct.

I believe I do remember being told not to insult the monarchy when I was there.

But according to the article the guy was not in Thailand when the alleged insult occurred.

Getting arrested for breaking a law in a country you were not in? That goes above and beyond absurd.

Originally posted by ZeroKnowledge
reply to post by mileslong54

 

The people absolutely love him and his family (at least from the people I talked to).

Hard to express the opposite when you can get thrown to jail for this. The important lesson is this - monarchy is not as good for individual as democracy. As Churchill said:

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

So i personally will never visit a country with different form of government.

They can protest if they wish alhtough rudeness is not tolerated. You have to understand that the King is mostly a figurehead. He uses his image and words to motivate the people. Sad that you won't visit another country with a different form of government. You are robbing yourself of experiences that you can't get anywhere else. So does this mean you wouldn't visit Canada because of our system? or the US or any country for that matter. Every governement is different even if it is in minute ways

Originally posted by aching_knuckles

Originally posted by ZeroKnowledge

So i personally will never visit a country with different form of government.

Wow...uh....deny ignorance?

I thought America was a Republic, not a democracy? Oops there goes everything you ever thought was correct.

He lives in Israel.

I think.

reply to post by watchitburn


The guy got what he deserved that law isn't a secret there. I've been to Thailand several times when I was in the Navy and insulting the royal family was a huge no no, it was something SOFA didn't protect against. When you visit a foreign country you follow their laws, it's their country after all.

reply to post by watchitburn


I agree with that... if i say something about the king right now, they have no jurisdiction. However, like someone else said, When in Rome... if they are allowing you to visit their country (Ps, Thailand is actually called the Kingdom of Thailand, cool eh!?) you should follow their rules.

Oh man, they just started a smack-talking festival about their king. (Who is their king again? Apparently someone very sensitive?)

Why do they even still have a king?

Well I guess that's why they will arrest you if you talk trash about the loser.

Thailand is not a very ``liberal`` country.

The corrupt King rules with an iron grip and whoever opposes him gets killed. See : red shirts.

Just you watch, they gonna have a corrupt ``election`` soon... and it'll be a bloodbath once again if the red shirts win.

That piece of garbage calling himself a king can go to hell.

reply to post by aching_knuckles


He lives in Israel... perhaps you should check the "Location" spot under his avatar before you try to say things like that..

Someone forgot ATS is global!

I lived in Thailand for several years and know the following are true.

It is against the law to insult the royal family in any fashion, and it is also against the law to insult Buddha in any fashion. Word or actions of any sort. Several foreigners were arrested, fined and deported while I was there for both offenses. When in another country you respect their laws or pay the price. And I remember the lèse-majesté laws apply to any Thai citizen when they leave the country, so if he is a Thai citizen then yes the arrest is legal under their laws. Not right IMO but legal under their law.

Also Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, and the royal family is very respected.

Originally posted by Evola
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. They have ever right to enforce their laws within their borders. If insulting the Thia king is illegal in Thailand, don't do it.

I'm glad to see the Thia's are taking their traditions and culture seriously.

edit on 27-5-2011 by Evola because: (no reason given)

This man apparently made his comments in the US, not in Thailand.

Originally posted by watchitburn
I believe I do remember being told not to insult the monarchy when I was there.

But according to the article the guy was not in Thailand when the alleged insult occurred.

Getting arrested for breaking a law in a country you were not in? That goes above and beyond absurd.

I agree with all that.

I read a travel guide before going to Thailand that said if I didn't stand up at the beginning of a movie to honor the king, I could be thrown in jail for that!

But arresting people for crimes against your country's laws outside your country's borders seems outrageous to me also. However the US has laws like that applying travel to Thailand (or other countries). If you're 17 years old and you have sex with another 17 year old while in Thailand, the US can arrest you for that under US law, even though it's legal in Thailand and it happened in Thailand.

US Code: TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 117 > § 2423 (c)

Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct in Foreign Places.— Any United States citizen or alien admitted for permanent residence who travels in foreign commerce, and engages in any illicit sexual conduct with another person shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.

That 17 year old won't get out of jail until age 47, for doing something legal in the country he's in, if they impose the maximum penalty. So the insanity goes both ways.