'Monarchy protection network' protests EU concern about 'Somyot'
Fri, 01/02/2013 - 10:43 | by prachatai
'Section 112 of the Criminal Code is a matter of national sovereignty. Foreigners who not really know about Thai culture, stay out of it.
Jan 31 - A group of protesters calling themselves the Network for Protection of the Monarchy gathered in front of the office of the European Union Delegation to Thailand on Thursday morning, saying that they want to "lecture" the EU, explaining that the status of the Thai monarchy is special and not like that in European countries.
'Section 112 of the Criminal Code is a matter of national sovereignty. Foreigners who not really know about Thai culture, stay out of it.
Oppose EU interference in the Thai judicial process.'
The European Union Delegation to Thailand last week issued a statement saying it was "deeply concerned" about the 10-year verdict of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a prominent labour activist and magazine editor who was sentenced last week for printing in his magazine two articles deemed lèse majesté.
Thanabodee Warunsee, coordinator of the network, said the European Union might understand that Somyot has contributed to labour rights, but good causes must be separated from bad causes, and the Thai monarchy is uniquely different from monarchies in Europe, and the EU might not understand this correctly.
"I hope that after explaining this to the EU, they will understand and repent. It would be good for the EU to issue another statement to express its regret," he said.
While waiting for the representative from EU delegation to receive the complaint letter, a protester said through a speakerphone that the EU would do better to solve the Rohingya issue rather than the lèse majesté law, and if it touches upon amending the law, the group might start a campaign to boycott EU products.
The protest, lasting about two hours, ended around 11.30 after a representative from the EU delegation came down to receive the letter.
H.E David Lipman, Head of EU Delegation to Thaiand, talked to Prachatai earlier about the protest, saying that it was a good thing that the group can exercise freedom of expression, but the EU statement was merely to “interact” with Thailand based on human rights principles, not “interfering” as the group claimed.
“There is no doubt that the use of freedom of speech can be interpreted, but we consider this from general views of human rights,” he said. “I come from a country, the United Kingdom, where we have a Queen that we love very dearly, and people are still allowed to criticize the monarchy in a respectful way and not sent to prison for long terms.”
The conviction of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk has prompted statements of concern from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the EU, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as well as labour rights organizations like the Clean Clothes Campaign and IndustriALL Global Union.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and, recently, the International Federation of Journalists also called for the release of Somyot and reform of the lèse majesté law, as it was seen as an obstruction to exercising journalists’ rights.
"The sentence handed down by the Court speaks more to curtailing critical reporting in Thailand than to protecting the monarch," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President.
Chavarong Limpatthamapanee, President of the Thai Journalists Association, said that the association supports and protects freedom of expression of the media, but expression must be under Thai law.
Asked about the stance of the TJA on Somyot’s sentence, he said the association is still debating what constitutes media and what does not according to its definition.
“What we protect is media that reports objectively, but if any media tries to have a political agenda for certain political groups, then we cannot protect them,” he said.
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Yes, well. Thais often say
Yes, well. Thais often say 'their' version of 'monarchy' is 'special' and 'unique', but they never seem to say how, why or in what way. That's what unthinking drones do, in this case the monarchist drones - pocketing the paltry amounts of cash their paymasters give them.
Whenever people say different to them, Thais generally say they 'don't understand' correctly, whereas the truth is they generally understand better than the Thais themselves. So it is in this case, the world understands pretty well how Thais have been propagandized, hoodwinked and defrauded for decades, its the Thais who are (as usual) behind the game line.
Interesting to think how much money each and every Thai would get if the money were to be returned to them, all nicely divvied up so they all got the same. Let's see now, 37bn...
37,000,000,000 *30 / 64,000,000 = 17,343.75 thai baht
That's 17,343 baht plus a few loose change satang for every man woman and child in Thailand... and it all came out of their pockets to start with - in one way or another. Sobering thought.
'Thainess' does have a value after all, who'd have thought it?
Mark
Better say "Some Thai"
Better say "Some Thai" Or"Thai royalists" Please :)
Could you please allow me to qoute your comment and post on my page? because its so true!!
If yes,thank you so much!
Alice: sure, go ahead, if
Alice: sure, go ahead, if it's true (and it is) then it bears repeating.
Unlike many truths in Thailand.
D
Agree with the above comment.
Agree with the above comment. Please qualify your statement. There is enough dissent on this matter that the word "some" belongs in there.
As a Thai, I will tell you how we are unique about this. We are uniquely perverse ;)
Sure, but I will say 'many'
Sure, but I will say 'many' Thais, not 'some' Thais, even though the only people who ever say that are Thais so it is factually correct for me to say that "Thais say".
And I would love you to comment when the idiot brigade in Thailand says stuff like 'the ... is the heart and soul of all Thais" or "the defendant hurt the feelings of Thais when he didn't mention the ... in articles which he didn't write' or 'all Thais were offended when grandfather sent text messages on a phone he didn't know how to use to Abhisit's secretary, whose number he didn't have about the .... being a really bad hoo', or 'All Thais know the ... has done so much for the country'. Bullshit like that.
Seems only fair for me to amend my comment to. Many Thais say..., even though the
Mark
I would but I don't want to
I would but I don't want to risk any jail time.
Easier for me to just live somewhere else and write snarky comments about Thai people every once in a while :D
I would but I don't want to
I would but I don't want to risk any jail time.
Easier for me to just live somewhere else and write snarky comments about Thai people every once in a while :D
Oh well, so long as it's easier and presents no risk. Not as if there is any matter of high principle here or anything, no question of a Thai standing up for what is right because of principled belief... well, not this Thai anyway.
Easier to let others do that - right? Mainly foreigners I notice.
You really *are* Thai aren't you? And you people really wonder why you have no friends except the USA who want to commit their crimes against humanity on Thai soil - just like the Thais do so no problem there. Nobody needs friends like the USA.
Q. How do you tell a friend like the USA from an enemy?
A. Your enemy will shaft you from the front where you can see him do it.
Mark
the KING ! MUST RESPECT the
the KING ! MUST RESPECT the UN DECLARATION NO 19 ! this is the 21st CENTURY ! and
not the DARK MIDDLE AGE ! and 65 MILLION Thais have the same Rights as the Monarchy !
Hello Mikel; Well, yes and
Hello Mikel;
Well, yes and no. Its the 21st century for countries outside of the reality distortion field known as Thailand. In Thailand, it still is the dark ages - Thais have done it to themselves by their acceptance of:
1. Being banged from behind by the USA, exclusively for American interests.
2. Being banged from the front, sides, upside and downside by Mr $37,000,000,000 and his cronies.
The liberation of Thailand will follow immediately after Thais grow some testicles and shout "enough!". And then do something about it instead of just whining and wringing their hands.
Mark.
This spirited group really
This spirited group really has its act together. If it can also apply the same principles to its own interference abroad into the laws of other countries, where no one on this globe can say anything that a "loyalist" finds disturbing about either the monarchy or even about anyone who puts up a pretentious front of protecting the monarchy, like this group, then that would be fine, perhaps.
But this penchant for instructing others on uniqueness is blind stupidity and idiocy at its finest. Archaic, disgusting, ignorant and not even Thai. These Thais are professing to be Thai and in fact are not. They have led the charge against common sense and decency, uprooting democracy and human rights in their rutting through human standards that they can not afford to live under, and thus they wish to deprive the rest of us. They are not Thai, they are not Buddhist, but they are unique. In the same way as thousands of other unique idiots are unique.
Not sure when the media was
Not sure when the media was prohibited form being political. Government media does not seem to mind.
Are they going to charge the
Are they going to charge the EU with LM too? That's always the bottom line with these royalist cowards who can't even respect the king's own words. They quickly whip out 112 and tell everyone to keep quiet because they know they are wrong on this issue.
Repent? Up up yours, buddy!
Repent? Up up yours, buddy!