Blogger Jailed for Insulting the King

The Criminal Court sentenced a blogger to ten years in jail on Friday after he pleaded guilty to insulting His Majesty the King in a landmark conviction under the computer crimes law.

It was the first sentencing under the new Computer Crimes Act enacted in 2007.

Suwicha Thakhor, 34, admitted to doctoring photos of His Majesty and posting them on the Internet, according to a court statement.

He was initially sentenced to twenty years, but the court reduced the term to ten years in prison because of his guilty plea. If he had been charged with lese majeste under the Criminal Code, he would have faced a maximum sentence of fifteen years.

Suwicha, an oil engineer, was detained in January.

He wept after the sentence was handed down. A father of three, Suwicha told reporters he has a family to support and that he needs help.

The verdict comes after the three month old Government launched a campaign to prevent lese majeste on the internet. About 4,000 websites have been closed down in recent months.

Source - The Bangkok Post