Thailand protests Economist article about King Bhumibol

Dec 12, 2008, 9:18 GMT

Bangkok - Thailand's foreign ministry has issued a protest letter to the Economist magazine about two articles that appeared in its December 6-12 issue on the sensitive topic of the Thai monarchy, officials said Friday.

'The letter will appear in the next issue of the Economist,' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat, who penned the letter.

Although the magazine was not officially banned, Thai distributors of last week's Economist did not import the issue which contained two articles on the monarchy under the titled 'A right royal mess' and 'The King and them.'

'I am deeply dismayed by The Economist's narrow views and condescending attitude,' said Tharit in his letter to the editor.

'In trying to justify presupposed contentions, your double pieces choose to give credence to writing by one American journalist about the king of Thailand and interpret events to suit his unfounded conspiracy prone speculations, while discarding important facts that prove otherwise,' it added, in reference to Paul Handley's controversial book, The King Never Smiles, which is not distributed in Thailand.

Handley's book, and the Economist article 'A right royal mess,' suggest that Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is head of state, has actively intervened in Thai politics over the past decades.

Under Thailand's constitutional monarchy the king has few political powers.

'Mr Handley says that in the two intervening years nobody has disputed the main facts in his book; not even the most damning stuff, which explodes the myth that the king rarely intervenes in politics and then only on the side of good,' said the Economist.

Despite being banned, Handley's book, which was published in 2006 shortly after King Bhumibol marked his 60th year on the throne, has been widely read by academics and journalists in Thailand.

Open criticism of the king is rare in Thailand, which has a strict lese majeste law making libeling the king or the royal family a crime punishable by imprisonment. Enforcement of the law has been rare over the years.

King Bhumibol in his December 4, 2005, birthday-eve speech criticized the lese majeste law and acknowledged that he should not be above criticism.

'Indeed, the King said in 2005 that he is not beyond criticism. But his position as being above politics does not allow him to respond to any political claims or allegations against him (unfortunately, including those made by the Economist) - thus the raison d'etre for Thais to call for the so called lese majeste law to protect their king,' said Tharit.

King Bhumibol turned 81 on December 5, 2008. He had to cancel his annual birthday eve speech due to a minor illness. King Bhumibol is the world's longest reigning monarch.