Nu jobbar jag ju enligt vissa bara i Thailand för det behagliga klimatets skull...men jag får ändå en massa e-mail och brev från utrikesministeriet och andra myndigheter. Detta fick jag idag där PM Abbhisit bemöter kritiken från Giles Ungkaporn.
Ifall han lyckas kan man ju diskutera, nej det komer inte attt publiceras i svensk media.
On lèse-majesté charges, PM Abhisit noted that a number of charges that have been brought according to the lèse-majesté law were not brought during the tenure of this government. They were brought against many people when the governments were run by the parties of [former PM] Thaksin Shinawatra and his followers, for instance, the case of Jakrapob Penkae. When Thaksin Shinawatra was in power, he also tried to charge PM Abhisit with the same allegation but the police dropped the charge because he had not violated the law.
PM Abhisit further said that the fact of the matter is if Mr. Ungpakorn wants to be a democrat, he has to respect the law. PM Abhisit believes that Mr. Ungpakorn is being charged not because of his comments against the coup but because of his specific allegations against the monarchy – on their role, as he alleges, of backing the coup. PM Abhisit said he has read the book and he has been told that Mr. Ungpakorn made specific allegations against the monarchy. If not, the charge would be dropped, just as in the case of Chotisak [Onsoong][1][/] that has already been dropped.
On the lèse-majesté law, PM Abhisit said there are similar laws even in European countries which also have constitutional monarchies. Recently, a person has been imprisoned in one European country for a similar law. The law itself is not necessarily undemocratic. If one says the same things or make the same allegations against ordinary people, one will also be taken to court. PM Abhisit himself has also been taken to court by a number of politicians and has also been sued for billions of baht for making comments and criticizing the previous governments.
PM Abhisit said that what the lèse-majesté law does is to give protection to the royal family – to the monarchy – in the same way that libel law protects ordinary people. The difference is that because the monarchy is a neutral institution – above partisan, above conflict, an institution that has been revered by the Thai people and a key pillar of our national security, the law does not want the monarchy to take legal action against its own people. That is why it is in the criminal code so that if there are allegations or violations against the monarchy, the cases would be filed with the police and people charged would be given due process of law.
PM Abhisit added that there are a number of people still fighting these charges. A lot of these charges have been dropped; they go unreported. There are a number of people who stay there and fight the charges because they believe they are innocent and they do not run away from the charges. Following Mr. Ungpakorn’ comments, PM Abhisit added that Mr. Ungpakorn should be under Thai law like any other Thai citizen and should not have any special privileges as all Thais must live under the same law and they should be able to exercise their rights. PM himself has been fighting many charges in Thai court under Thai law.
Be that as it may, he is the first Prime Minister who has taken seriously the issue that the law can be abused and perhaps too liberally interpreted. He has specifically talked to the police chief and also the people involved in these cases that they have to be fair and be sensitive to the concerns because the law is actually designed to protect the monarchy, and if it is being abused, then it would not serve the purpose. He is in the process of trying to get together some academics to work out how best to enforce this law so we do not fall into the trap of actually not serving the purpose of the law. He is doing the same with the law on computer and electronic crimes because he knows that one article in that law has been open to abuse. He is also the first Prime Minister that has already twice invited netizen groups to work out how best to deal with illegal contents on the web. He even spoke on the phone personally to the person who was recently arrested, which PM thinks there has been a misunderstanding and perhaps the standard operating procedures that he has worked out with the police were not followed.
PM Abhisit asked that the monarchy not be dragged into political conflict. The monarchy should be above political conflict, and one should keep this institution, which is highly revered by Thai people, neutral and above partisan and all other conflicts in Thailand.
[1][/] Chotisak Onsoong was charged in April 2008 for lèse-majesté for not standing up for the Royal Anthem in a movie theatre in September 2007.
