Bangkok - A widely watched lese majeste case was postponed
Thursday by Thailand's attorney-general, opposition politician
Jakrapob Penkair said.
Jakrapob told reporters his pre-trial hearing on whether to go
ahead with his prosecution on charges of insulting the monarchy had
been put back by 30 days.
A noisy crowd of about 300 opposition 'Red Shirt' followers of
former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra chanted 'fight, fight'
outside the Attorney-General's Office where Jakrapob was told of the
postponement.
On Wednesday more than 50 international scholars and dignitaries
unveiled a petition calling for the reform of laws designed to
protect the monarchy which they claim are being abused for political
reasons. Several cases of lese majeste are pending in the Thai courts.
Jakrapob, a former minister in the prime minister's office, faces
a possible jail sentence of between three and 15 years under the lese
majeste law for comments made in the Foreign Correspondents Club of
Thailand in August 2007.
Politicians and activists for and against controversial former
prime minister Thaksin, overthrown in a bloodless September 2006
military coup, have accused opponents of being disloyal to the widely
revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej or other members of the royal family.
A well-known Anglo-Thai university lecturer, Giles Ji Ungpakorn,
recently fled to Britain after being charged with insulting the
monarchy in an academic criticism of the coup published in 2006.
Social critic Chotisak Onsoong is in trouble for refusing to stand
for the royal anthem, which is played before movies at Thai cinemas.
The Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology has
closed down well over 2,000 web sites in recent weeks for posts
deemed offensive to the monarchy. The Justice Ministry said it will
demand court orders to shut down a further 3,000 to 4,000 'insulting'
web sites.
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