At last he reached the fast disappearing feast and with his sharp knife slashed off a more generous portion than he had hoped for, an entire hairy forearm, where it protruded from beneath the feet of the mighty Kerchak, who was so busily engaged in perpetuating the royal prerogative of gluttony that he failed to note the act of
LESE-MAJESTE.
But if it were back in the days when the
lese-majeste laws were still in effect in England, swearing or cursing a monarch can have dire consequences.
Lese-majeste, (criticism of the monarchy in any form) is a crime which can be broadly interpreted, and carries a long jail sentence.
He also recalled an incident in May this year when Putrajaya repatriated Praphan Pipithnamporn to Thailand upon a request made by that country despite fears that Praphan would not receive a fair trial under Thailand's strict
lese-majeste laws which was condemned by various quarters, including Human Rights Watch.
The Philippines is no monarchy, and there are no
lese-majeste laws in this republic, but then there is Guevarra as the chief dispenser of justice no less, who thinks the 'Bikoy' videos directed at President Duterte's family are equivalent to 'scurrilous libelous attacks against the government' that add up to sedition.
Harsh
lese-majeste laws mean unguarded discussion about the monarchy inside Thailand is virtually impossible.
After the coup, hundreds of democratic activists were arbitrarily arrested and charged with
lese-majeste. Moreover, under the 2016 Constitution, the NHRC was incorporated into the service of the state 'in a way that would compromise its investigative freedom and moral authority as an autonomous entity' (p.
And it obviously helps if
lese-majeste laws can be deployed to shut down various forms of dissent, as has been the norm in recent years.
Wanchaleom Jamneanphol, a popular online TV host, is facing charges under Thailand's notoriously strict cybercrimes and
lese-majeste laws -- which make it illegal to say anything negative about the monarchy -- for her comments online describing a dress designed by Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana as ugly.
The arrests were justified under the law of "
Lese-majeste," which punishes a person who "defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent" with up to 15 years imprisonment
President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan as only his latest vendetta for
lese-majeste.
But these omissions were also practical: Thailand is one of a few countries still rigorously enforcing the law of
lese-majeste, which forbids anything that can be construed as defaming the sovereign.