Will we all be sentenced to jail time should we ever enter Thailand?

"Gordon posted links to the banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej several years ago while living in the U.S. state of Colorado, and his case has raised questions about the applicability of Thai law to acts committed by foreigners outside Thailand.
...
Thailand's lese majeste laws are the harshest in the world. They mandate that people found guilty of defaming the monarchy - including the king, the queen and the heir to the throne - face three to 15 years behind bars. The nation's 2007 Computer Crimes Act also contains provisions that have enabled prosecutors to increase lese majeste sentences."

http://hosted.ap.org/...CTIME=2011-12-07-21-54-03


Hmmm....

So that book can be bought here:
http://www.amazon.com/...y-Thailands/dp/0300106823

I'm very tempted to buy it and begin leaving photocopied exercepts on the Thai Embassy wall down by the Georgetown Waterfront.

It seems like the King was raised in the West and very humble, whereas his son was a 'prone to violence.'

Thoughts (and I wouldn't recommend the Thais commenting here)?

Note to self: don't go to Thailand. I'm sure at some point I have or will insult the Thai Royal Family. Frankly, the law itself is an insult to the royal family as it implies that they are so delicate as to be unable to take criticism like the rest of us have to. Seriously, if they need this law, then I guess that means they think a single insult can overthrow their monarchy. If they think that, then maybe it's not such a terrible thing to insult them once.

Thailand won't recognize his U.S. right to free speech? What's the problem?

If you're a dutch citizen living in the US you can't go blaze a blunt down at starbucks.

If you're a german citizen living in the US you can't do 150 MPH on the highway.

Trife, the problem here is two fold.

First, the law is fundamentally wrong. It violates the principles of free speech with no safety concern to counter it.

Second, Joe Gordon was not in Thailand at the time that he committed the "crime"; he was in the United States. He is an American Citizen (not a Thai citizen). In this case, you have Thailand exerting their sovereignty over an American in the United States. Though it's not militarily, you might still consider this an act of war. Thai had no sovereignty and no jurisdiction in this case. Thailand's laws don't apply in the US except to Thai citizens (and potentially Thai nationals).

This case is more like a Dutch citizen coming to the US and then being charged with drug use for a crime that occurred in the Netherlands or a German being charged in the US for going 150 MPH in Germany.

that a poor comparison tinklemeister.

it would be more like a dutch citizen smoking a blunt at a dutch starbucks and then coming to the US and getting arrested for smoking weed in public.

or a german citizen doing 150mph on the authobahn on his way to the airport and when he arrives in the US and gets in his rental car a cop pulls him over and gives him a ticket for doing 150mph on the autobahn.

you cant be punished in one country for a crime commited in another.

i guess they are using the whole "cyber crime" thing.

As noted by the above posters (and in the story), the crime didn't occur in Thailand. It occured in Colorado where the man has lived for 30 years as an American citizen. He was arrested months later when he traveled to Thailand because of linking to the unofficial biography that's produced by Yale Press (the one I linked above).

Hence my whole posting about if I post this will I be arrested upon entry in Thailand? If they consider it a crime against Thailand then they should lodge a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of State.

I just find the whole thing ridiculous and thus I figure if enough of us imitate what Gordon was doing (linking to the Yale Press-produced unofficial biography) then we will do the same thing. If enough of us do it then maybe they will realize their draconian punishment actually has a counterintuitive effect.

So you want us to say the Thai king is gay, the queen is really a transgender fluff and his son is the product of a man/monkey relationship .


Oh and that Thailand smells and their curry is utter fluff.

While your examples are correct, most countrys legislation opens for charging their own nationals with crimes (by their national laws) commited in other countrys.

i.e If your a citizen of country A , go on vacation to country B, and do something that is illegal in A but legal in B, A can charge you for this upon your return.

Disclaimer : I said "most" , i mean many , i would advice you to check your own native countrys legislation on this, also not all laws are "active" , the policy or precedenses set by national courts may have an effect.

Anyway, i like to digress :D

idiotsroyal family
just blow the whole place up
yea im American

Just to play devil's advocate.

He didn't just commit the crime once; if the post is still on the internet, then he's still responsible for the contents of that post and breaking Thailand's law.

As are all of us should we ever enter Taiwan, hence the fun here.

I think someone asked above, but he was born in Thailand according to the press stories. With that said, he's been an American for 30+ years now residing in Colorado (more than half of his life). Quite frankly, I think my (US) government needs to say something to Thailand here. Of course I also think the Australians should say something to Saudia Arabia, but that's another story alltogether.

I believe british libel laws apply to material written or published outside of the UK, provided that the defamed party is resident in the UK. Quite frankly, I don't see how this is different.

Thailand would be a lot more fun to invade than iraq . . .

The Thai royal family all collectively suck big purple donkey fluffs.

That does sound more fun!

Guy shouldn't have been talking fluff.

I'd quite like to go to Thailand so I will refrain from this petty name calling of their all glorious and wonderful leader.

U'll be trapped in an elevator, locked in an ice box, cut off your own finger, pluck your own tooth and yes, get hammered in the rear in bangkok

bro, bangkok has him now.

that sort of thing happens from time to time with thai lese majeste

i was always wondered why any company who had issues with chinese bot farmers didnt constantly mention 4 June and so on then report themselves to the great firewall

i refuse to go out of my way just to insult them. somebody invite them to play EE, i'll get around to insulting them eventually.

To the people saying he shouldn't be arrested because he committed a crime in another country:

Should we not be not be arresting sex tourists who travel to other countries to have sex with kids on their arrival back in the west then? (as seems to be happening)

That's not what they are saying, they are saying that an American citizen should not be arrested in Thailand for breaking Thai law in the United States. If an American goes overseas and commits sex crimes, he should be arrested by American officials when he returns. Btw, this guy should have known what he was getting himself into by going to Thailand, but its still a violation of American sovereignty.

isnt Thailand home of the transvestite hookers?

trumper you will be the first one we deport to face the music in TY courts.