Thailand Jails Us Man Joe Gordon For Royal Insult

[The_Munchmaster]

Thailand has jailed a US citizen for two and a half years after he admitted posting web links to a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

 

 

Joe Gordon, a used car salesman from Colorado who was born in Thailand, admitted lese-majeste, or insulting the king, at an earlier hearing.

 

He was sentenced to five years in jail, but the judges halved the term because of his guilty plea.

 

The US consul general in Thailand said the sentence was "severe".

 

"He was given the sentence for his right of expression," Elizabeth Pratt told reporters.

 

"We continue to respect the Thai monarchy but we also support the right of expression which is internationally recognised as a human right."

 

Activists say the lese-majeste law has become increasingly politicised, and is used as a tool of repression rather than as a way of protecting the monarchy.

 

Royal pardon plea

 

Gordon, 55, reportedly translated parts of the widely available biography, The King Never Smiles by Paul Handley, several years ago and posted them on a blog while he was living in the US.

 

He was arrested in May when he visited Thailand for medical treatment.

 

He initially denied the charges, but said he changed his plea to guilty after being repeatedly refused bail.

 

After being sentenced, he told the Bangkok court: "I'm not Thai, I'm American. I was just born in Thailand. I hold an American passport. In Thailand there are many laws that don't allow you to express opinions, but we don't have that in America."

 

His lawyer said he would not appeal against the sentence, but would ask for a royal pardon.

 

Foreigners convicted of lese majeste are routinely pardoned and deported shortly after being sentenced.

 

Prosecutions under the law have increased dramatically in recent years, amid chronic political instability.

 

And the authorities have passed a new law, the Computer Crimes Act, that increases their powers to tackle any perceived insults to the monarchy on the internet or through mobile phones.

 

Last month a 61-year-old man was jailed for 20 years for sending four text messages that were deemed offensive to the Thai queen.

 

The man said he did not even know how to send a text message, and rights groups expressed serious concern about his conviction.

 

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 84, is the world's longest-reigning monarch and is revered as semi-divine by many Thais.

 

Anybody convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces long prison sentences.

[kamui]

That is really an outrageous conviction. The man posted the stuff while living outside of LOS and he was posting material which is available everywhere except in LOS.

[pasathai1]

Lots of time to devote to this, no time to fight corruption.

[Flashermac]

I am a getting a bit tired of this "US citizen" rant. He says, "I'm not Thai, I'm American. I was just born in Thailand. I hold an American passport." In fact, the first thing he did when he returned to LOS was apply for a new Thai National ID card. He is a THAI CITIZEN. He wanted it both ways, and he was arrested as a Thai citizen. Dual nationality has both advantages and disadvantages.

 

Whether he deserves jail time is another matter. But as a Thai he is responsible in Thailand for his actions outside of the country.

[kamui]

I am a getting a bit tired of this "US citizen" rant. He says, "I'm not Thai, I'm American. I was just born in Thailand. I hold an American passport." In fact, the first thing he did when he returned to LOS was apply for a new Thai National ID card. He is a THAI CITIZEN. He wanted it both ways, and he was arrested as a Thai citizen. Dual nationality has both advantages and disadvantages.

 

Whether he deserves jail time is another matter. But as a Thai he is responsible in Thailand for his actions outside of the country.

 

The US media sees this differently:

 

U.S. Citizen Sentenced for Insulting Thai King

 

By THOMAS FULLER

BANGKOK — A Thai court on Thursday sentenced a U.S. citizen to two and a half years in prison for insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the latest case in the government’s crackdown on criticism of the monarchy.

 

Joe Gordon, who was born in Thailand but has lived in the United States for the past three decades, was convicted of translating and posting to the Internet portions of a book, “The King Never Smiles,†which is published by Yale University Press and banned in Thailand.

 

The number of so-called lèse-majesté cases has sharply increased in Thailand in recent years, a period of political turmoil and divisions about the future of the monarchy.

 

Mr. Gordon’s case is unusual because he was living in the United States when he uploaded chapters of the book onto the Internet.

 

Elizabeth Pratt, the consul general of the U.S. Embassy who attended the sentencing, said that the United States was “troubled†with the verdict, but she stopped short of calling for Mr. Gordon to be freed.

 

“We are very concerned about the severity of the sentence that has been imposed on Joe Gordon,†she said. “We continue to have full respect for the Thai monarchy, and we also want to support the right to freedom of expression, which is an internationally recognized human right.â€

 

Mr. Gordon, 54, initially denied the charges but in October pleaded guilty.

 

He will request a royal pardon, said his lawyer, Arnon Nampa.

 

The sentence would have been more harsh had Mr. Gordon pleaded not guilty, Mr. Arnon said. Before the sentencing, Mr. Gordon was repeatedly denied bail.

 

“You have to choose between the rule of law or freedom,†Mr. Arnon said in an interview after the verdict was handed down. “Because if he had wanted to continue fighting the case, he would have been in jail for at least another year without bail.â€

 

Judge Tawan Rodcharoen said the court had shown leniency because Mr. Gordon pleaded guilty. The sentence, which would have been five years, was cut in half, the judge said.

 

Mr. Gordon, whose Thai name is Lerpong Wichaicommart, was arrested in May during a visit to his hometown in northeastern Thailand.

 

Wearing an orange prison uniform and shackled with leg irons, he hesitated on Thursday when answering reporters’ questions. “In Thailand, they put people in prison even if they don’t have proof,†he said. “I am not going to fight. I don’t believe†— he stopped himself.

 

A prison official sitting next to Mr. Gordon whispered to him in Thai.

 

“Don’t say anything else about this,†said the prison official, Wiroj Nuyom. “It might affect your royal pardon. And you might be in trouble.â€

 

“The King Never Smiles,†written by a former journalist, Paul M. Handley, is a detailed biography of King Bhumibol. The book argues that the king has led a restoration of royal power in Thailand that has impeded the development of democracy.

 

The king, who has been hospitalized for more than two years with various ailments, marked his 84th birthday on Monday in a gilded ceremony marked by fanfare and adulation.

 

After more than six decades on the throne, many Thais have an unquestioning loyalty toward the king.

 

Ardent supporters of the monarchy have led an online campaign to stamp out criticism, an effort that has been accompanied by a crackdown on royal insults by government Internet censors.

 

“If you don’t like His Majesty the King, I would suggest this — get out of here,†one YouTube user, LimitedSaur, said in a video. “You’d better live somewhere else but Thailand.â€

NYT

[sayjann]

“You’d better live somewhere else but Thailand.â€

 

a comment which is understandable.

the thais have their rules/laws and other people should respect that.

in a lot of countries free speech is somewhat allowed but as long as it does not break the law.

i recall 2 occasions of almost getting into trouble when i was a total newbie and knew little of the culture.

 

i had a wad of notes in my hand and they were blown away by the wind and i ran down the road stamping on the notes to collect them up.

the thais were horrified as i had stepped on the kings head and that was looked upon with horror.

luckily things were explained and i was excused.

on the same trip i tossed a coin and smacked it onto the back of my hand and i soon realised i had done wrong when i saw the disapproving looks.

 

but what i don't understand is that he was living in the US at the time of his comments.

was he extradited or was he on a holiday?.

if the americans sent him to thailand to face justice then should they really complain about his sentence?.

[Flashermac]

The US media is controlled by morons only out to make news.

 

1) "Joe Gordon" was born and raised in Thailand. That makes him a Thai citizen. He has never renounced his Thai citizenship.

 

2) He returned here not on a "visit" but to seek medical treatment. As I recall, he had been back on his "visit" over a year. It took some time to realise he and "Joe Gordon" were one and the same.

 

3) In order to recieve medical treatment as a Thai, he went to his amphur office and acquired a new Thai ID card identifying him as a Thai citizen with all of a citizen's rights and benefits. He has been living as a Thai since he came back.

 

But none of the above seems to matter to the US press.

 

 

I've mention before Bobby Wolf, my grandmother's friend, who came to American as a child with his parents, who became naturalised US citizens. He had to unfortunate timing of visiting his grandparents in Gemany in 1939, and was there when Hitler decided to attack Poland. The war started, Wolf was stuck there, and he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht as a German citizen. Shit happens some times when you have dual citizenship.

[sayjann]

The US media is controlled by morons only out to make news.

 

1) "Joe Gordon" was born and raised in Thailand. That makes him a Thai citizen. He has never renounced his Thai citizenship.

 

2) He returned here not on a "visit" but to seek medical treatment. As I recall, he had been back on his "visit" over a year. It took some time to realise he and "Joe Gordon" were one and the same.

 

3) In order to recieve medical treatment as a Thai, he went to his amphur office and acquired a new Thai ID card identifying him as a Thai citizen with all of a citizen's rights and benefits. He has been living as a Thai since he came back.

 

But none of the above seems to matter to the US press.

 

 

I've mention before Bobby Wolf, my grandmother's friend, who came to American as a child with his parents, who became naturalised US citizens. He had to unfortunate timing of visiting his grandparents in Gemany in 1939, and was there when Hitler decided to attack Poland. The war started, Wolf was stuck there, and he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht as a German citizen. Shit happens some times when you have dual citizenship.

 

so he was working the system.

claiming to be an american citizen but also claiming to be thai when it suited him.

[Flashermac]

That is what it looks like. He is only Thai when it is to his advantage. He apparently returned to Thailand on his US passport, but then promptly became Thai again. Now he has decided he is a Yank. Wonder what sort of visa he has ... or perhaps hasn't.

 

As I said, the lese majeste charge is another matter.

[radioman]

yes, this dual nationality thing can be a bummer at times.

 

What to do with my son? Either let him get drafted and sent to the south for a couple of years to be canon fodder or have him renounce his Thai nationality and survive on visas and/or work permits, or live outside Thailand from the age of what, 18 to 40 I think. Some tough choices.

 

Cheers

 

Sorry, thread fucking (again)