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Release Somyot! Scrap lese majeste!
Red Thai Socialist - April 29, 2014
There are several political prisoners sentenced to jail under "lese majeste". The only way to get released is to admit guilt. Somyot Prueksakasemsuk has refused to admit guilt. He has done nothing wrong. He tells stories about the conditions in jail. The prisoners have to wear chains on both legs which weigh 5 kg. The prisoners have to clean the chains regularly otherwise they go rusty and people's legs become infected. According to Somyot, standard practices in jail are mainly designed to reduce the humanity of prisoners. "If you are in jail you are treated like an animal".
Another lese majeste prisoner, Da Torpedo, has been in jail longer than Somyot. She has been denied proper medical treatment and has also been physically attacked in prison.
The lese majeste law in Thailand represents a gross attack on the freedom of speech, freedom of expression and academic freedom. It is a fundamental attack on democracy carried out by the military, royalist judges and bureaucrats, and all the political elites, including Taksin and Pua Thai. Lese majeste prisoners are tried in secret courts and denied bail. The royalist judges claim that the offense is "too serious" and "a threat to national security". Thai dictatorships have long used the excuse that their opponents were seeking to "overthrow the monarchy" in order to kill unarmed demonstrators or throw people into jail. Jail terms for lese majeste are draconian.
Meanwhile armed anti-democracy thugs and state killers enjoy freedom of action and impunity. The lese majeste law in Thailand is an authoritarian law which has been designed primarily to protect the interests of the un-elected elites, especially the military. It is used hand in hand with the computer crimes law and the contempt of court law to stifle full debate and accountability in society. Lese majeste and the computer crimes laws have resulted in many outspoken critics going to prison or leaving the country and they have also resulted in the systematic censorship of books and the internet.
Government departments, both civilian and military, have been set up to spy on citizens who use the internet, and those involved with radio and television, with a view to prosecuting citizens under the lese majeste law. People have also been encouraged to spy on others and report them to the authorities. While the National Human Rights Commission and the NGOs remain silent on lese majeste, the only systematic opposition comes from a small section of the pro-democracy movement.
The truly repressive nature of lese majeste can be highlighted by the fact that some Thai citizens are too afraid to refuse to stand up at the cinema when the king's anthem is played. It is an image that would not look out of place in Nazi Germany or North Korea.
Guilty of perpetuating oppression
The appalling lese majeste law prevents freedom of speech, transparency and democracy and is aimed at protecting all the elites, especially the military. The military use the weak and cowardly monarchy to justify their intervention in politics. But however weak, cowardly and ineffectual the Thai royal family might be, they are all guilty of perpetuating this oppression. This includes the king, the queen, the crown prince and all the princesses. They should be held accountable for the crimes committed against lese majeste prisoners and the crimes committed by the military in their names. This is one reason why we need a republic.
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