Thailand has some of the world’s strictest laws to defame or criticize the king, queen, heir or regent. The laws, known as read majesty, can result in 15 years in prison for each offense.
Anchan Preelert, 65, pleaded guilty to sharing audio clips between 2014 and 2015 on YouTube and Facebook that, according to Thai human rights lawyers, were considered critical of the kingdom’s royal family. She was convicted on 29 charges, with three years for each.
The Bangkok criminal court imposed an initial sentence of 87 years, but halved it due to Anchan’s guilty plea.
“The sentence is the highest ever imposed by the Thai court for violating Article 112,” her lawyer Pawinee Chumsri said, referring to the law on majesty.
Pawinee said they would appeal the ruling and work to secure bail from the appellate court. “There are two more courts we can hear in her lawsuit,” she said.
Revival of read majesty
Many protesters feel encouraged to openly call for reform of the monarchy.
These calls got on my nerves and brought thousands of people to the streets, sometimes in violent confrontations with the police and pro-monarchy groups. The younger generation tore up the idea of a holy monarchy and a king protected by public scrutiny. Their demands include that the king be held accountable under the constitution, limit his powers and be transparent about his finances.
According to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, from November 24 to December 31, 2020, at least 38 people were charged under Majesty, including a minor and several university students.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, political scientist and director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University, said the Anchan sentence “means that the Majesty Act is back in full force.”
“Because it dates back to the last reign and the coup in 2014, this record sentence after a break is seen as a warning shot for the continuing youth-led protest movement against the new monarch,” he said. “This indicates that Thailand’s established centers of power are declining for the long term.”
Six-year case
Anchan’s case is not directly related to the recent allegations of anti-democracy protests. But with the nearly three-year hiatus from reading majestic cases, analysts say the sentence indicates old cases will now be activated.
Anchan, a former civil servant who worked at the Department of Revenue, was arrested in January 2015, not long after the Thai military overthrew a coup.
Anchan’s case was initially brought before a military court and she was detained for almost four years while awaiting trial. In 2018, she was released on bail and her case was transferred to a civil criminal court.
Her crime was to share audio clips on social media from an underground radio program that allegedly criticized the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The creator of the tracks – a man named “Banpodj”, was convicted on majesty and has already served his sentence.
“This shocking case is another serious attack on Thailand’s disappearing space for freedom of expression,” said Amnesty International Regional Director Yamini Mishra. “The manner in which she was sentenced is also cold. The manner in which authorities have apparently sought to maximize punishment by increasing criminal charges sends a clear deterrent to Thailand’s 50 million internet users.”