A Thai military officer filed a lese majeste complaint against Sulak Sivaraksa, a renowned royalist and political science scholar known for his firm stand against the lese majeste law, for allegedly criticising the former Thai monarchs of the early 20th century, King Rama V and Rama VII.
On Friday, 21 August 2015, the police from Pak Khlong Rangsit Police Station issued a summon order for Thongchai Romyenpensuk, the president of the labor union of Susuki Company, for questioning over a seminar entitled ‘83 Years of Thailand’s Development after the 1932 Revolution of Siam’, which he attended with four other colleagues.
The seminar on post-absolute monarchy Thailand was held at Rangsit University in Pathum Thani Province on 22 June 2015. Participants were Sulak Sivaraksa, a well-known critic of Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law, Olarn Chaiprawat, former advisor to ex-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, a human rights activist known for her works for Bangkok’s slum dwellers, and other high profile academics.
The order summons Thongchai for questioning on 28 August 2015. He said that another colleague of his who attended the same seminar also received the summon letter. Thongchai added that there were about 40-50 people at the seminar on 22 June and that the university must have given the police the list of the all the participants of the discussion.
According to the summon letter, Suvalak is accused by a Sub Lt military officer who attended the seminar of offenses under the lese majeste law.
Pravit Rojanaphruk, a journalist from the Nation, who was a host of the seminar, was also summoned for questioning on 23 July 2015.
He said that the police told him that the accuser on the case is a military officer who recorded the content of the seminar and sent it to the police before filing the lese majeste complaint against Sulak.
The journalist mentioned that the questioning took about two hours and he was asked whether criticisms about Rama V and VII made at the seminar are against Article 112 of which he told the police that the law does not cover the former monarchs.
Pravit added that there were constant phone calls from the military officers to the interrogative officers during the questioning and that there were also military personnel at the police station.
On 1 July, Prateep, a human rights defender who attended the event, also received the similar summon order over the seminar, ordering her to report to Pak Khlong Rangsit Police Station on 9 July. The summons mentioned that the seminar’s content involved references to the Thai Kings, but it did not mention the name of the accused.
Last year, Sulak was accused of defaming King Naresuan, an ancient king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom who reigned about 400 years ago, at the seminar on Thai history where he raised doubts about the historical battle between the ancient Thai king and a Burmese general.
Sulak told Prachatai in a video interview that Article 112 only protects the present monarch, the Queen and the Crown Prince.
The notorious lese majeste law states "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, Heir-apparent or Regent shall be punished (with) imprisonment of three to fifteen years."