Less than 24 hours after the death while in detention of Lese Majeste convict and prisoner of conscience Amphon “Akong” Tangnoppakul, better known as Uncle SMS in English, this writer has observed how some ultra-royalists make sense of the first death of Thailand’s prisoners of conscience, and it became clear that they will blame it on anything or anyone but the draconian and undemocratic law and themselves.

Soon after Vipar Daomanee, a former Thammasat University lecturer, criticized red-shirt leader Nattawut Sai-gua for his endorsement of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s decision to pay respect to Privy Council President Gen. Prem Tinsulanond, Vipar received a short note from an audience at a symposium she spoke on lese majeste law and prisoner of conscience Somyos Prueksakasemsuk.

A prosecution witness in the lese majeste trial of Voice of Taksin magazine editor and key red shirt Somyos Prueksakasemsuk testified yesterday that two articles in the magazine allegedly defamatory to the monarchy could be construed as such if the reader is a royalist who - like himself - has "faith" in the monarchy.

The just-released book in Thai language on the impact of the controversial and draconian lese majeste law on Thai society entitled ‘Darkness Under the Sun’ (ความมืดกลางแสงแดด) by writers and independent journalists Vorapoj Panphong and Thiti Meetaem reflects the Thai mainstream mass media’s failure in covering the issue of lese majeste law critically.