ISLAMABAD/BENKOK: A Thai man was sentenced to two years in prison for selling calendars with sarcastic remarks and rubber ducks dressed in royal regalia, which the prosecution claimed insulted the monarchy.
The 26-year-old Narathorn Chotmankongsin was found guilty of insulting the Thai king. He is among roughly 200 people arrested under lese-majeste laws since 2020 in what opponents say has been a crackdown on free expression.
The rubber duck has served as a representative of Thai pro-democracy demonstrators. At protests where they demanded a democratic transition—a movement that also included calls for the monarchy’s reforms—activists frequently used the emblem.
For selling the calendars on the pro-democracy Facebook page Ratasadon, Narathorn was detained in December 2020. The political parody featured controversial statements and drawings of ducks dressed in royal garb.
According to the prosecution, the photos and descriptions mocked and defamed King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Narathorn was given a three-year sentence on Tuesday, but the judge later commuted it to two years.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the punishment demonstrated how the Thai government punished any behavior considered an insult to the king.
HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson said, “This case sends a message to all Thais, and the rest of the world, that Thailand is moving further away from becoming a rights-respecting democracy, not closer to it.”
Thai govt’s misuse of the royal insult statute
Rights groups have blamed the Thai government for misusing the royal insult statute in recent years to clamp down on political dissent.
A violation of the statute, which carries a possible 15-year prison penalty, is widely defined as insulting the queen, the monarch, or his successor or regent.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, however, has disregarded this criticism. According to his government, the bill is required to safeguard Thailand’s widely admired monarchy.
Others have recently faced legal action for masquerading as the king’s consort or making fun of the king’s dog. Also, Thai officials have been prosecuting persons who have left critical remarks on social media sites more frequently under the nation’s computer crime laws.
On Wednesday, two young activists detained under lese majesty charges entered their 50th day of a hunger strike protesting against the strict law.
