Swiss man jailed for 10 years for defacing Thai king's image

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

BANGKOK: A Swiss man convicted of lèse-majesté for vandalizing images of Thailand's king and queen was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday, the first time in many years that a foreigner has faced jail for the crime.

Oliver Jufer, 57, a resident of Thailand for the past decade, pleaded guilty to spray-painting portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit last Dec. 5, the king's birthday. Jufer could have received up to 75 years in prison, but the judge, Phitsanu Tanbukalee, said he decided on a reduced sentence because Jufer had confessed.

In a country of otherwise easygoing people, where law enforcement is flexible and one of the most common phrases is "never mind," Jufer violated the ultimate taboo.

Adoration for Bhumibol, the world's longest-reigning king, is often poorly understood by foreigners and is somewhat akin to Japanese veneration of the emperor before World War II, although far less extreme. His subjects, whether generals, businessmen or prime ministers, crawl when they greet him and use a special language to address him.

Officials said little Thursday after Jufer's sentence was announced. And the case was barely covered by the Thai-language media. But the prosecutor, Bhanu Kwanyuen, put the case in context during the trial.

"If this happened in England, it would not be this serious," Bhanu told reporters outside the courthouse earlier in March. "But in Thailand, the king is worshipped and revered."

One person who apparently thinks the lèse-majesté law is too strict is the king himself.

"I must also be criticized," he said in a 2005 speech in which he dwelled on the point. Bhumibol said he had never allowed someone to go to prison for having criticized him. "If they get sent to prison, I pardon them," he said.

Public criticism of the Thai monarchy is virtually unheard of inside the country. "The King Never Smiles," a biography published in 2006 by the American journalist Paul Handley, is banned in Thailand.

In the book, Handley writes that Bhumibol has carefully nurtured the image of a benevolent ruler and praises him for being "genuinely dedicated to good works" through rural development projects and other programs aimed at helping the poor.

But Handley also argues that the royal family is more deeply involved in politics and business than most Thais realize.

"King Bhumibol's reign is something unique in the 20th century," Handley writes in his introduction. "Rather than accepting his position as simply a benign cultural object like the modern Japanese or British monarchs, Bhumibol made himself a full-fledged, dominant political actor."

Bhumibol has publicly intervened in politics several times during his six decades on the throne, and is considered by many Thais to be a pillar of stability and continuity amid a revolving door of governments and numerous military coups.

Perhaps equally significant is the influence of the Crown Property Bureau, the organization that handles the royal family's vast real estate holdings. Some Thais privately criticize the difference between the king's philosophy of a "sufficiency economy" - often defined as living within one's means and avoiding excess - and the Crown Property Bureau's plans to build high-rise condominiums and shopping malls in a city already cluttered with them. But the criticism is of the bureau, not of the king.

Most foreigners living in Thailand are keenly aware of the sensitivities surrounding the monarchy. Audiences at cinemas stand up before every screening as the king's anthem is played and images of the king are projected. The king's portrait is ubiquitous.

Jufer, whose lawyer testified in the trial that he was drunk when he spray-painted the five portraits, was caught on surveillance cameras. He has 30 days to appeal his sentence.

Although his crime would be considered a misdemeanor in most Western countries, the vandalism was particularly poorly timed. As part of the celebrations for the king's 60 years on the throne last year and his 80th birthday this year, giant billboards display portraits of Bhumibol, who is in fragile health, throughout the country. Thais wear yellow - the king's color - on Mondays to honor the day of his birth.

In the streets of Bangkok on Thursday, there was wide agreement that Jufer should be punished, but opinions differed as to how long he should stay behind bars.

"He deserves it," said Dom Thongsarn, 34, the driver of a three-wheeled tuk-tuk, referring to the prison sentence. "But five years is enough. He's a foreigner. He doesn't understand about our king."

Kanya Apichitruengdet, 62, who sells lottery tickets, disagreed. "Ten years is too short," she said. "As a foreigner he should learn about Thai culture before coming to Thailand."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/29/asia/king.php

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Dumbazz

[AUBGER 0]

wow...well...he should've known better i guess...When in Rome do as Romans do...and if u dont...at least dont try to piss them off

[Robor007 0]

Definitely sucks to be him... If being critical of the leader landed a person in jail 50% of this country would be there (myself included). :jest"

[almaty 19]

where the lashes at?..wait a minute that is singapore, nevermind