Man Jailed For Insulting Thai King
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Man insults Thai king
http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=2848130
A Swiss man is facing up to 75 years in a Thai jail for insulting the country's king whilst on a drinking binge, officials have said.
Oliver Rudolf Jufer, 57, is due to go on trial in Chiang Mai next month for defacing images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej with black paint on the revered monarch's birthday.
Police are seeking consecutive jail terms for Jufer for five separate acts of lese majeste, carrying jail terms of between three and 15 years.
King Bhumibol is immensely popular in Thailand and is revered as a semi-divine figure by many Thais.
"This is a delicate issue and we don't want the public to know much about it," Chiang Mai chief prosecutor Manoon Moongpanchon said.
Jufer has been in jail since he was arrested in December.
Only one Thai newspaper reported the episode after police asked local journalists not to write about it to minimise the disrespect to King Bhumibol, the world's longest-reigning monarch.
75 years...
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75 years? oh my God.
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oh my
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Wat era liao.. boycott the gu-niangs la..
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The Thais wont do anything if i deface the king image here,say to shame their soccer loss
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pls... soccer players and thai king are two different entities...
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should the man go into jail, i dont think he can survive 75 years
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if the king does not pardon the fella, all respect for him will be lost..
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Please.. u should have seen them.. play dirty n boycott liao.. still dare to show the praying gesture in honour of their king.. ~puiOriginally posted by mhcampboy:pls... soccer players and thai king are two different entities...
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then scold the soccer players....Originally posted by Gackt247:Please.. u should have seen them.. play dirty n boycott liao.. still dare to show the praying gesture in honour of their king.. ~pui -
judging from his character.... i suppose he would....Originally posted by the Bear:if the king does not pardon the fella, all respect for him will be lost.. -
who knows. monarchy is as unpredictable as a woman's pms.Originally posted by mhcampboy:judging from his character.... i suppose he would.... -
sadly.. protocol dictates their daily lifes....Originally posted by Ito_^:who knows. monarchy is as unpredictable as a woman's pms. -
yeah.. thai king is a nice fella..
i think the malaysian kings, the swiss fella would be tortured to death or something...
they should repeal such insanely STUPID laws -
i thought it was Sand King lol
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You can do almost anything in Thailand.
But their King and Elephant. Don't ever dare do or say anything offensive. -
For 5 seperate acts.Originally posted by mhcampboy:Police are seeking consecutive jail terms for Jufer for five separate acts of lese majeste, carrying jail terms of between three and 15 years.
http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=2848130
75 years... -
He is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment....
A Swiss man was jailed for 10 years Thursday for insulting Thailand's revered king by vandalising his portraits during a drunken spree.
Oliver Jufer, 57, had pleaded guilty to five counts of lese majeste -- the crime of offending the dignity of a sovereign -- for defacing several portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej with spray paint in the northern city of Chiang Mai.
He had faced up to 75 years in prison, but the court sentenced him to 20 years and then halved the term because Jufer had confessed.
"The court has punished him for insulting the king. This is a serious crime, and he was sentenced to four years for each of five counts, for a total of 20 years," judge Pitsanu Tanbuakli said.
"Because he confessed, the court has reduced his sentence to 10 years," he said.
Jufer can appeal the ruling, but his court-appointed lawyer did not attend the sentencing. Jufer said nothing as he entered or left the court.
Prosecutors declined to comment on the case due to the sensitivities of speaking about Thailand's king.
Jufer is from Zurich but has lived mainly in Thailand for the last 10 years and has married a Thai woman, according to authorities.
Security cameras videotaped him defacing the king's portraits on December 5, which is the king's birthday and a time of national celebration.
Thailand has been swept up in royal fever since the king's 60th anniversary on the throne in June last year.
The palace also became more prominent in Thai political life with a military coup in September, which was conducted with the king's apparent blessing.
The generals who staged the coup have repeatedly said that one of the reasons for ousting then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was because he had been "impolite" to the king.
Prosecutors are investigating three claims of lese majeste against Thaksin. A fourth charge, accusing Thaksin of praying inside a temple reserved for royals, has already been dropped.
Thailand's king is the world's longest-reigning monarch, and one of the few who is still protected by tough laws that prohibit any insult to the royal family.
Thai law allows anyone to file a lese majeste complaint with the police, which makes people reluctant to engage in any sort of public conversation about the king or his family.
Portraits of the monarch, who will be 80 in December, hang in every public buildings and shrines to him dot the sidewalks in major cities.
Although the trial has attracted international attention, Thai media have hardly mentioned it due to the difficulty of reporting about the king without committing lese majeste in the process. -
disrespecting the king is a big no no
if u want to go to any country, respect their culture and laws.
over here when ppl vandalise they get caned. they bring in drugs they get hanged.
over there, u go and deface the 4 faced buddha. you won't even get to stand trial, everybody on the street will kill you.
if u are one who have no respect for other countries cultures or laws, u better don't travel. -
Jufer is from Zurich but has lived mainly in Thailand for the last 10 years and has married a Thai woman, according to authorities.
that guy is a moron. 10 yrs there and he still does this. -
When somebody's drunk, the words can be trusted?
Lucky no 75 years, but 10 years.