Thailand’s crackdown on ‘insults’ to the monarchy spreads abroad

Oliver Holmes Bangkok
Sunday 30 October 2016 00.05 BST

Thailand has begun a search for people deemed to have defamed its monarchy in the wake of the king’s death, investigating 20 new criminal cases and seeking to extradite suspects from abroad.

The country’s lèse-majesté (wounded majesty) laws are among the world’s strictest, meaning anyone who “defames, insults or threatens the king, queen, heir-apparent or regent” can face up to 15 years on each charge.

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However, the foreign ministry has also attempted to track down suspects abroad. It said last week that it had asked several foreign countries to extradite people accused of lèse-majesté. While it did not name the countries, a Cambodian official said that authorities were working on an appeal to extradite three Thais accused of insulting the monarchy.

The Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman, Chum Sounary, told reporters that its government “is processing the extradition request”. No specific details of their alleged offences were provided.

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