On 14 Feb, Suriyan Kokpuey, 29, was sentenced to 6 years and one month in jail, and, as he pleaded guilty, his jail term was commuted by half.

The Criminal Court found him guilty of lèse majesté under Section 112 and causing panic under Section 392 of the Criminal Code, and gave him jail sentences of 6 years and one month respectively.

His parents who came to hear the ruling at the court told Prachatai that they were poor and after the arrest they had not been able to find money to bail their son.  At first, they were afraid that their son might get 10 years or so.  His mother insisted that her son was not interested in politics, and had hardly joined any rallies; only his father had occasionally joined the red shirt rallies.

Suriyan, originally from Yasothon in the northeast, was arrested by police in Bangkok on 4 Oct.  He was charged with making a call on 30 Sept from a public telephone booth in front of the Army’s Channel 5 television station in Sanam Pao, Phaya Thai, to the police 191 call centre, threatening to place a bomb at Siriraj Hospital, and making offensive remarks against the monarchy.  He worked with his father at their shoe stall at Sanam Pao.