shygye Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 In Thailand the monarchy has no governmental power. It is best for you to NEVER discuss the King. If someone takes it the wrong way you can find yourself in jail and then thrown out of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit_of_town_hall Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 If it is true he shouldnt have been rude, he was however well within his rights to say no and continue with his work.... I am sure even a princess wouldnt ask if they were flying with another airline.... If it was me I would have refused to apologise, create a nice diplomatic incident... STH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayjann Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 i was once with 2 girls and they wanted to go somewhere different to eat. i decided to toss a coin to decide. when the coin hit the back of my hand and the other hand slapped down hard upon it,the reaction of the girls was apolectic. i had hit the King on the head and that was not a good thing,i learnt a lesson that day. as to Royals being above the law?. here in the UK,Princess Anne was taken to court for a driving offence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit_of_town_hall Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 In the UK to be honest I think that they would be dealt with harder.... STH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 he was however well within his rights to say no ------------------------- apparently, as soon as one boards a TG plane going to LOS, one is in Thailand therefore ides of one's rights become murky at least. Who knows what happened, another case of farng who should have known better. IMO, if you have the chance to fly near a princess, turn off the damn laptop and enlarge your circle of acquaintances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 My theory is that the lese majeste laws are only accepted/welcomed by the Thai public because they have a ruler who is genuinely and universally loved and respected. ---------------------------------- Lese-majesty laws have always been part of the legal landscape in Thailand, successive authoritarian governments refined them in this century so that almost any criticism of the country can be construed as LM, if they wish to see it that way. Makes it easier to crack down on lone dissenting voices. hardly conceivable right now, but i even think they could be used against a royal... For his/her own protection ::, so to speak. In truth, most of the cases we heard about in the News have nothing to do with showing disrespect to the person of the monarch or the crown. It is imporatnt to say that the enconpassing laws were instigated by politicians and not HM himself, who as someone said, is a constitutional monarch and can't make laws. ATTENTION: KS is out for a couple days, I am not able to monitor this sensitive thread until 8pm, pacific time, I think he would appreciate that i close it so nothing gets out of hand without mod supervision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 There is one reason, and ONLY one reason, why lese majeste laws exist in ANY given location, and that is because the Powers That Be know damned well that in the absence of such laws, all manner of disrespect WOULD be hurled at the person or persons in question. A truly universally loved individual would not NEED laws of this sort to begin with. Hypothetically speaking, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultras67 Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 Says romaning2004: Ps, I was in a Thai part of Koh Samui, (have not got a clue as to were becouse my thai girl took me there) and we watched a new thai film that had just come out at the time, and i was the only falang in this bar / cinema and suddenly there was a scene in the film were a 3 year old thai king was exicuted, and everyone in the cinema missed the next scene in the film becouse they were bowing there heads down in disaproval. Sounds like The Legend of Suriyothai. He was put into a sack as royal blood was not allowed to touch the ground or no one was allowed to touch a royal - something like that. Its back out now in its re edited version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtimer Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 The Thai people love their King & Queen, who have both worked tirelessly over the years for their people. The world has no reigning monarchs who have been more devoted to their subjects. I suggest that it would be prudent if laws concerning disrespect to their Majesties should NOT be a subject of discussion in this forum, other than to emphasize that ANY form of disrespect is considered intolerable and offensive to those of us from abroad who dwell in Thailand -- as well as native Thais. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmedave Posted August 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 Oldtimer, I will agree with you on your admiration for this particular King and Queen. I think I emphasized several times that no disrespect was intended for ANY royal personage. However, as a person who loves freedom, and especially free speech, I find it offensive that there should be a topic that is not allowed to be discussed in an honest and serious manner. It seems to me that while Thailand is very lucky to have such great leadership from its royal family, other nations have not always been so lucky in the past, and may not be so lucky in the future. This is why it is so important to discuss such issues, so future calamities may be avoided. I think it is the principle of the legislation that is of interest here (and its possible consequences in the wrong hands), more than any specific person or country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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