Meechai Ruchuphan, a veteran legal expert who has served several governments and juntas in various capacities in the last three decades, has given his views on the lèse majesté law in his answer to a question posted at his website by one of his readers.
The reader asked for his opinion about recent moves calling for changes to Article 112 of the Criminal Code.
Meechai said, ‘Article 112 prohibits only three things, i.e. defaming, insulting and threatening the King, Queen, Heir Apparent or the Regent.’
‘These three offences, not to mention being committed against the Head of State, cannot even be committed against ordinary people. The freedom of individuals surely has boundaries and must not infringe that of others. If we consider only the freedom of individuals without considering that of others, society will be in turmoil. Even in America itself, there is no way that we will be allowed to defame, insult or threaten their President,’ he said.
‘The important issue is that each country is vigilant on different issues. If seen from another country’s perspective, [certain things] might not seem right. However, civilized peoples have to accept and respect the tradition and culture of each country, not judging them based on what they are familiar with and accustomed to,’ he said.
‘For example, the Americans are scared shitless of terrorism. Whoever enters their country has to be searched exhaustively, without any regard for any individual rights. [They] even stripped people naked. Luggage is opened and searched arbitrarily. When the Americans were hunting for Bin Laden, they once captured aerial photos of a group of people walking with sticks on some foothills. Thinking that it was Bin Laden, they launched expensive missiles to exterminate the whole group. They later became aware that it was not Bin Laden. Local people were killed for nothing. Isn’t that even more brutal and barbaric than the Stone Age? Americans or the United Nations have never been seen to have condemned this, because vengeance for the destroyed buildings still lingers in their mind,’ he said.
‘Singapore has punishment by caning to chasten offenders not to recommit certain crimes. A mischievous American was caught spraying graffiti on a wall. That person was caned to be humiliated. No matter how much noise or begging was made, the Singaporeans didn’t budge. No one demanded [the Singaporean government] to change the law, because [the Singaporean government] would cane only offenders, in the same vein as the Thai law which punishes only those who commit offences prohibited by law,’ he said.
