Lèse-majesté case dropped against Thai scholar

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Thai authorities dropped on Wednesday a case against an 85-year-old scholar accused of insulting a 16th-century monarch under the country’s strict lèse-majesté laws.

Prosecutors in Bangkok said there wasn't enough evidence to try Sulak Sivaraksa, his lawyer said. Such cases are rarely dismissed before going to trial.

Thailand is known for its strict lèse-majesté laws, which call for up to 15 years in prison for “whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, queen, heir apparent, or regent.”

Every year, dozens of people are prosecuted for insulting the monarchy. But this case attracted worldwide attention as Sivaraksa was accused of insulting a king who died 400 years ago.

Thai King Vajiralongkorn is seen paying respects at the statue of King Rama I after signing the military-backed constitution in Bangkok, April 6, 2017. /VCG Photo

In a lecture in 2014, the renowned scholar encouraged students to think critically about Thai history and questioned whether a legendary military victory by King Naresuan, a national hero, actually took place. The date of the battle is still celebrated every year in Thailand with a military parade.

Critics said this was taking the concept of lèse-majesté too far.

On Wednesday, Sivaraksa – who has been charged at least four times under lèse-majesté laws – maintained he had done nothing wrong.

“I stand by the facts, I stand by the truth,” he said.

“I asked people to use their own criteria to judge the past, I didn't ask them to believe me. I gave them various facts, that's all – as a writer, as a historian, as a scholar.”

Thai academic and historian Sulak Sivaraksa (C) is escorted by police from the Bangkok Military Court after charges of royal defamation against him were dropped, in Bangkok, January 17, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

An outspoken critic as well as a self-proclaimed royalist, Sivaraksa credited Thailand’s new king, Maha Vajiralongkorn, with helping to get the case against him dropped after he petitioned him directly.

In court, he urged however: "That law has to be changed."

Over 90 people have been prosecuted and about 40 have been sentenced for lèse-majesté in Thailand since 2014, when the military took power, according to media reports.

In June last year, a Thai man was sentenced to a record 35 years in prison – down from an initial 70 – for posting 10 comments, photos and videos on Facebook “deemed defamatory of the royal family."

In another case, a woman suffering from mental illness was jailed for five years for insulting a portrait of the king.

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