Australian Jailed for Lese Majeste Charge

The Criminal Court yesterday sentenced an Australian writer to three years in jail after finding him guilty on a charge of lese majeste.

Harry Nicolaides, 41, pleaded guilty to the charge which relates to a passage in a novel titled "Verisimilitude" which he published in 2005.

"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.

"He has written a book that slandered the King, the Crown Prince and Thailand and the Monarchy," the judge added.

Article 112 refers to lese majeste laws protecting the monarchy from insult, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Nicolaides, who worked as a university lecturer in Chiang Rai between 2003 and 2005, was detained at  Suvarnabhumi Airport departure lounge on August 31 on an arrest warrant issued two-and-a-half years earlier. He was about to board a flight home, apparently unaware of the arrest warrant issued in connection with his novel, according to rights groups. He was indicted in November and denied bail.

Shackled at the ankles and handcuffed, Nicolaides said, "I would like to apologise. 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.

Talking to reporters earlier,Nicolaides described the time since he was arrested as an "Alice in Wonderland" experience. He said he was hoping to wake up from a dream and find it all gone. He was visibly emotional as he spoke, saying he wanted to make amends for his crime.

His lawyer said he would seek a royal pardon for the sentence, the latest in a series of penalties under lese majeste laws against insulting the monarchy. Nicolaides has the right to appeal within 30 days.

In a related development, Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga urged concerned agencies urgently take action against websites allegedly critical of the Thai monarchy.

"As far as I know there are almost 10,000 sites maybe deemed of offending the monarchy but only 2,000 sites were just closed by the ICT (Information and Communications Technology Ministry)," he said.