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Writer sentenced for 'Thai insult'
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 An Australian writer has been jailed for three years after being found guilty of insulting the Thai monarchy.
Harry Nicolaides, a 41-year-old who worked as an English teacher in Thailand, was initially sentenced to six years but saw his term reduced after he pleaded guilty to 'Lese-majeste', a very serious offence in Thailand.
The charge stemmed from a passage in his 2005 self-published novel Verisimilitude, in which he referred to the scandalous lifestyle of an un-named Thai Crown Prince.
Nicolaides was arrested at Bangkok airport as he tried to leave the country last September.
Appearing in court shackled in leg irons and wearing orange prison overalls, he told reporters before the verdict that the case seemed like he was in a bad dream, describing it as an "Alice in Wonderland experience".
After hearing the sentence, he said he felt "dreadful" and wished his family the best.
In Thailand, many people highly revere 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and insulting the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Even though the King himself has said he should not be above criticism, the police feel the need to investigate every complaint, fearful that dismissing even the most trivial cases might be considered disrespectful.
© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved. |
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Writer Harry Nicolaides jailed for insulting Thai king
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Australian writer Harry Nicolaides - (Reuters/Sukree Sukplang) |
Sophie Tedmanson
An Australian writer has been sentenced to three years in a Thai jail after pleading guilty to lese-majeste charges for insulting the country’s King.
Harry Nicolaides, a 41-year-old Greek-Australian, pleaded guilty to defaming Thailand’s revered royal family in his self-published 2005 novel Verisimilitude.
"I plead guilty," Nicolaides told a Thai judge on Monday, after charges of slandering the 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej and other members of the royal family, including the crown prince, were read out to him in court.
Nicolaides has already spent four months in jail after being arrested at Bangkok airport in August.
"He was found guilty under criminal law article 112 and the court has sentenced him to six years, but due to his confession, which is beneficial to the case, the sentence is reduced to three years," a judge told the court.
Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled at the ankles, Nicolaides earlier choked back tears as he described his jail time as like being in Alice in Wonderland.
"This is an Alice in Wonderland experience. I really believe that I am going to wake up and all of you will be gone," Nicolaides told reporters.
“I would like to apologize. This can't be real. It feels like a bad dream.
"I respect the king of Thailand," he added. "I was aware there were obscure laws (about the monarchy) but I didn't think they would apply to me."
During his time in jail he said he had endured “unspeakable suffering”, but would not elaborate.
Nicolaides is a frequent visitor to Thailand, where he worked as a university lecturer and resided from 2003-2005.
He has described his novel as a commentary on political and social life of contemporary Thailand. A Thai website described the book as an "uncompromising assault on the patrician values of the monarchy". It has been reported only seven copies of the book have been sold.
Lese-majeste, or insulting the monarchy, is regarded as a serious offence in Thailand, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
In 2007 a Swiss man, Oliver Jufer, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for defacing pictures of the king but he was later given a royal pardon and deported from the country.
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Author guilty of Thai king insult
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 Nicolaides said the novel was his take on political and social life in contemporary Thailand [Reuters]
A court in Thailand has sentenced an Australian author to three years in jail after finding him guilty of insulting the country's royal family.
Appearing in a Bangkok court house on Monday, Harry Nicolaides, had pleaded guilty to the charges, related to a 2005 novel he authored which reportedly sold just seven copies.
He was convicted under Thailand's strict lese majeste laws, designed to protect the royal family but which activists say are outdated and stifle free speech.
Passing the court's verdict, the judge initially sentenced Nicolaides to six years in jail, but reduced the sentence to three years because of his guilty plea.
Speaking in court earlier, Nicolaides, who was shackled at the ankles and wore a prison uniform, said he had endured "unspeakable suffering" since his arrest five months ago and that the case had taken a toll on his health and family.
"I would like to apologise," he said, breaking down in tears. "This can't be real. It feels like a bad dream."
He said he had "unqualified respect for the king of Thailand" and had not intended to insult him.
The case comes as Thai authorities step up prosecutions under the country's controversial laws on lese majeste or insulting the monarchy, which mandates a severe sentence for "whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the regent".
He had faced a jail term of up to 15 years.
Arrest
"I would like to apologise. This can't be real. It feels like a bad dream" - Harry Nicolaides
Nicolaides, who lived in Thailand from 2003-2005 and taught in the northern city of Chiang Rai, was arrested in August at Bangkok's international airport as he was about to board a flight home to Melbourne.
The author was unaware of a warrant issued in March for his arrest in connection with his novel, Verisimilitude, rights group Reporters Without Borders said.
The group had urged the Thai authorities to drop the charges against him and to release him.
Nicolaides has described his book as a commentary on political and social life of contemporary Thailand, saying it was "never intended to threaten or defame the royal family".
Laws 'outdated'
 Critics say the laws against insulting Thailand's royal family are outdated [AFP]
Several academics, authors and journalists are also currently facing similar charges under the lese majeste laws.
Free speech activists have condemned the laws as outdated, saying it has no place in a democracy.
Sulak Sivaraksa, a Bangkok-based social activist, said many people were critical of the strict monarchy laws in private but did not have the courage to speak up openly about changing it.
"The lese majeste laws have mostly been used by politicians to get rid of or to silence the opposition," he told Al Jazeera, adding that even the king had a few years ago said that the law was harmful to him and detrimental to the monarchy.
"I think we should be brave to do something to have this law changed," Sulak said.
"Unfortunately in this country the people generally have no moral courage."
Giles Ungpakorn, a Thai academic who is himself facing charges of lese majeste, said the laws undermined democratic rights to free speech.
"This law is not about protecting the monarchy, it's about certain groups trying to protect their privilege and their power," he told Al Jazeera.
"Thailand is supposed to be a democracy. And in a democracy you're supposed to be entitled to free speech."
The severity of the lese majeste laws was highlighted last year when a Swiss man, apparently acting in a drunken frenzy, was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years for defacing images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving monarch.
He was pardoned by the king after serving about a month in jail.
Last week Thailand's new prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, told reporters the monarchy had to be protected because it has "immense benefits to the country as a stabilising force", adding that his government would try to ensure the law is not abused.
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