On 25 Nov, programmer and Facebook user Suraphak (family name withheld) was indicted by the public prosecutor for lèse majesté, according to lawyer Anon Nampha.
Suraphak, 40, has been accused of being the owner of a Facebook account entitled ‘I shall…by staging coups’ and posting messages deemed offensive to the monarchy, violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code and the 2007 Computer Crimes Act.
The indictment states that the defendant posted the defamatory comments on 4 May, 18 and 22 June, and 16 Aug 2011. He was arrested on 2 Sept, and the police seized his laptop, an air card, two True Move SIM cards, a One Two Call SIM card, 52 CDs, a modem, a desktop computer and a circuit board. He denied all charges during police investigation. He has been denied bail since the arrest.
The public prosecutor opposes bail, citing that:
‘The defendant is Thai, living on Thai soil which has His Majesty the King as Head of State, who has shown his immeasurable graciousness to the country and its inhabitants. The defendant, apart from not recognizing His Majesty’s graciousness towards the inhabitants, has the audacity to express great malice with the intent of overthrowing the institution of the monarchy, which is worshiped by the Thai people. This is considered a threat to national security, which is unacceptable to the Thai people. The defendant’s acts do not warrant any leniency whatsoever, and he deserves harsh punishment. He committed serious crimes which threaten the security of the kingdom. If granted temporary release, he will possibly flee, or tamper with the evidence, or recommit the crimes. The public prosecutor objects to his temporary release in the event that he seeks bail.’