Thai Man May Go to Prison for Insulting King’s Dog

BANGKOK — Thailand’s strict laws making it a crime to insult the monarchy entered new territory on Monday when a factory worker was charged with disparaging the king’s dog.

In a case brought in a Thai military court, the worker, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, was charged with making a “sarcastic” Internet post related to the king’s pet. He also faces separate charges of sedition and insulting the king.

Mr. Thanakorn could face a total of 37 years in prison for his social media posts, highlighting what has become a feverish campaign to protect the monarchy and rebuff critics of the country’s military rulers.

The precise insult toward the royal dog was not divulged by the military, according to the suspect’s lawyer, Anon Numpa

Mr. Anon said the boundaries of what has been considered lèse-majesté, as royal insults are known, had expanded drastically in recent years. Last year, a prominent scholar was accused of insulting a king who died 400 years ago. The list of people who have been investigated now includes the American ambassador to Thailand.

Six other cases of prosecution in for insulting the Monarchy – read here.

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