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Thai-born US citizen Joe Gordon, 55, is escorted by Thai prison officials as he arrives for his trial accused of lese majeste charges at criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, on 8 December 2011.
BANGKOK, Thailand - A U.S. citizen jailed in Thailand after admitting that he disseminated information on the Internet that insulted the monarchy is being considered for royal pardon, his lawyer said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Justice has approved a pardon for Lerpong Wichaikhammat, a Thai-born U.S. citizen known as Joe Gordon, and it has been forwarded to the Bureau of the Royal Household, his lawyer, Anon Numpa, told Reuters.
Wichaikhammat was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail in December 2011.
'Witch hunt'? Thailand cracks down on king's online critics
Successive governments have ignored international calls to reform the lese-majeste laws -- which make it illegal to insult the king, queen or crown prince -- is a highly sensitive issue in a country where 84-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is regarded as semi-divine.
The laws are increasingly questioned in Thailand itself, with some critics arguing the legislation is abused to discredit activists and politicians opposed to the royalist establishment.
Anon announced that another client, who was jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of sending text messages disrespectful to Queen Sirikit has died in jail a few months into his sentence.
Thais divided by anti-free speech crackdown
The case last November of Amphon Tangnoppaku, 61, who the media nicknamed "Uncle SMS", had stoked a debate about the harsh sentences imposed in Thailand for lese-majeste.
"Uncle was admitted to the prison's infirmary unit after experiencing severe stomach pains since Friday," Amphon's lawyer, Anon Numpa, told Reuters. "We haven't found out the cause of death yet but he had been battling cancer."
During his trial, Amphon had denied sending the SMS messages to a government official, saying he did not even know how to send such messages from his mobile telephone.ce and said it supported freedom of expression in Thailand as elsewhere in the world.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Can you imagine how many folks in the USA would be jailed for insulting Obama or Bush? More then half the country. This King, Queen and Prince crap needs to stop. They are just people like anyone else. Tyranny in the World still exists with this MONARCHY BS. Government should represent the People, by the People For The People. People DO NOT own other people. Wake up World!
I wanna say "F" the Thai king and the whole royal family, but I might wanna vacation there someday and don't wanna find out that due to some vast web tracking and identifying effort, of whose dimensions we're unaware, I've just added myself to a blacklist. So can one of you who never plans on going to Thailand say it for me? :D
Don't blame the royal family, I know several of them, and they've all been fighting to change that law. Even King Bhumibol has actively encouraged criticism of himself and the royal family. However, they do not control the legislature, and cannot repeal laws already passed. The reigning party likes to keep it intact because it's a useful tool for discouraging dissent of the government in general, and a good catchall for arresting political opposition. Unfortunately, there's nothing the royal family can do about that.
Thia born citizen. Keep em' we don't want em'.
Racist, aren't you!
We need citizens like him. I would believe he loves America more than Obama and the libtards love America.
nice sound bite. Did you parrot that from a fox news report?
C'mon King Bumble Bee. You and the queenie don't need to get your panties all in a wad because somebody talks bad about you. Use the criticism to, I don't know, say, bring your country into the 21st century
Tony:
Walk upto a young couple walking down the street and tell a woman she is a slut.
Enjoy the freedom.
Here's the thing, GodGraviton: if I do go up to a woman and call her a slut, I won't be put in jail. Punched, maybe, but not put in jail.
It's called freedom of speech, GodGraviton, a little something there should be much, much more of in this world.
Here's news for all you haters, the King himself has stated that the laws needed amending.
If the Thai King wanted the lese majeste laws stopped, he could do it. But he hasn't.
Yes, the article mentions "a royal pardon". If the king wanted the law changed, he would pardon every person who ever got convicted of breaking it.
The Thai King does not lead the Thai Politicians or usually becomes involved, he usually only makes suggestions when it comes to National Laws. During his long reign(almost 66 years), he has authorized over 15 coups, 16 constitutions, and 27 changes of prime ministers.[2] He has also used his influence to stop military coups, including attempts in 1981 and 1985..
He was credited with facilitating Thailand's transition to democracy in the 1990s...
Though the Thai King can sign new Bills that have passed both Thai government houses, making them effective. The King also can refuse his Royal assent, by withholding his signature to a bill and either returns it to the National Assembly or does not return it within ninety days (a veto), the National Assembly must re-deliberate that bill.
The King does not submit Bills to be passed...
IMO - The current Internet ENFORCEMENT, is being used as a POLITICAL TOOL to silence rivals of the Party that LOST the popular election last year...
A current death in prison of a 61+year old man, whom was given a 20+year sentence for sending 4 disrespective mesages. There were questions if he even was able to send them, but his family was connected to the Political Party that WON the elections. The charges & conviction happened prior to the elections. When the DEMOCRATS were in power...
Thailand ACTIVELY monitors the Thai Internet and has many restrictions currently in place...
When in Rome you play by Rome's rules....hope it was worth it. Not unlike the 3 idiots that wandered into Iran...three years later they came home. Stupid to throw 3 years of your life away...and for what?
Hey gramps.
I'm with you on this. You have to play by the rules that govern the country you're in. Weather or not the act you are accused of is legal where you're from. In some countries they stone people for committing adultery and it's legal. Do that in America and you're going to prison.
A little back-ground...
He returned to Thailand to take advantage of the FREE medical care, available to ALL Thais...
While in the USA he knowingly VIOLATED Thai Internet Laws concerning the Monarchy...
IMO - He deserves to rot in Remand Prison...
The Thai King has stated that these Laws need to be CHANGED. That he welcomed constructive criticism and he has PARDONED many people convicted by the Thai Courts...
The POLITICIANS pushing the ENFORCEMENT are the Thai DEMOCRATS and the 'Yellow Shirts' the Thai elites...
This man was convicted of insulting the king while he was living in the US. He wasn't even in Thailand when he "committed" the crime. I don't see how they could charge him.
Because they can. Remember they are King and Queen. They own everyone inside of their country and can do whatever they wish. Like Roman Times, you either work for Rome, become a slave of Rome or Die. There are Kings, Queens, Princes, Czars, Attila's and The Almighty this and that. They control the masses as wished with thumbs up or down on a whim. Tyranny is still everywhere you look. People need to rid themselves of this BS full of crap stuff.
I think that the king and queen of Thailand are stupid @sses- There Ihave degraded them Throw me in jail, if you can find me.
retired:
I bet you have peanut size brain.
Literally, one minute before you posted that insult to Retired&Happy, you said:
Why the sudden change of heart?
Who gives a crap about this king crapper? I think the king is an idiot to jail his opposition. Kind of like Hitler if you ask me? Do not speak about me unless its praise is a bad idea for any idiot.
So i have a simple rule. King you don't address me unless your using the phase "Your Royal Red Neck, i worship the ground you travel on", then we can talk.
Till then shut your skull cap and keep your woman's faces covered and their arms and legs in chains and leggings.
Hey you racist bigot, Thailand is a Buddhist country, not muslim, their women enjoy many freedoms. The King does not jail his opposition, the politicians do. The country is a constitutional monarchy run by a prime minister and parlament. The King has no say in who gets charged under lege majestie. But he does have the power to pardon after court review.
aleonl
May be the King will save your sorry ass one day should you break the law in Thailand.
Obviously, aleonlore knows nothing about Thailand if he thinks Thai women have to cover their faces. Ignorance is sad.
We need to respect other culture and other peoples choice and modus operandi in their own country. We do nto own the world.
We do put foreigners in prison when we think they violates our laws even thought that may not be crime in theri country of origin.
I will hate other people telling me how to live in America and what laws are stupid and what are acceptable. It is none of their business. Same way it is none of our business to insist what kind of laws they should have.
We had pretty good ride telling others crap and not taking nicely when they call us crap. In Pakistan Hillary Clinton was confronted about double standard. Why we do nto use drones to kill our escaped criminals and accept colateral damage that comes with that is some innocent getting killed. Why innocents are expendable inPakistan along with Criminals and not in USA?
Frankly, I think aspects of other cultures, such as insulting a monarch being a punishable offense, suck, and I reserve the right to express and defend that assertion.
No, we indict and try foreigners when they break our laws. If they are found guilty and sentenced to jailtime, then they get sent to prison.
And you know what? If you disagree with what foriegners say about America, then come up with reasoned arguments against foreigners' assertions. An unexamined patriotism isn't patriotism, but mindless followership.
Because we actually control the land our escaped criminals are usually on. We don't need armed drones to chase after criminals.
Besides, if the Pakistani government were actually concerned about finding and neutralizing al Qaeda, Taliban, and Haqqani operatives (frankly, all those forces are in the pocket of the ISI), they'd cooperate more with us, and the number of collateral deaths would go down precipitously.
It is considered an insult in Thailand if one person crosses their legs and the toe points at another person.
aleonlore - don't leave your neck of the woods if you cannot respect another countries laws and customs. i doubt anybody including this king, is sitting on the edge of their seat to talk to you.
King Barry is taking notes for his second term.
Heres an article you won't find on MSNBC.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/08/it-all-your-money-us-postal-service-bailout/
Taxpayers getting screwed again.
It is the goverments fault it is bankrupt, they dip into its profits when it sees fit. Check out how they have had to pay up front for insurance for generations to come. It is crazy!
umgawa - Not sure what this has to do with anything in the story. But you shoulda taxpayers continuing to get screwed, not getting screwed again. Congress is sneaky that way, even the Repub-led one we got now. First, make sure the USPS has to fund retirement for the next 75 years (that's for people that haven't even been born yet), then steal the money they putting into the retirement fund, then don't let them run the PO like the business it was meant to be (you know, cut costs by laying people off or closing unprofitable locations, etc.). And then you can make political points whining about how they have to bail it out. What a crock. Repubs no better then Demos, in my mind.