<p dir="ltr">The former fugitive Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has threatened to take legal actions against those accusing him of royal defamation.</p>
<p>The former PM wrote on his twitter account on 9 October 2017 that he felt ‘extremely uncomfortable’ about the recent statement of Khemchai Chutiwongse, the Attorney General, that he will be indicted under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</p>
<p>The police have decided to press royal defamation charges against Sulak Sivaraksa, a renowned royalist and lèse majesté critic, over a public speech about King Naresuan, who ruled the Ayutthaya Kingdom 400 years ago.</p>
<p>On 9 October 2017, Puangthip Boonsanong, a lawyer representing Sulak, said the police took Sulak, 84, to the Military Court of Bangkok and submitted to the military prosecutor the case file in which he is accused of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</p>
<p>The military prosecutor will decide on 7 December 2017 whether to indict.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A deputy junta head alleged that there are people who planed to create chaos around the upcoming Royal Funeral.</p>
<p>On 2 October 2017, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, a deputy junta head and Defence Minister, said at the meeting about security issues during the upcoming Royal Funeral for the late King Bhumibol on 26 October.</p>
<p>A court has renewed the detention of a suspect accused of royal defamation although there is no apparent evidence linking him to a group of people accused of defaming Princess Sirindhorn. </p>
<p>On 18 September 2017, the Provincial Court of Kamphaeng Phet<a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=5230"> began the trial </a>in a case which four people have been indicted under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The father of ‘Pai Dao Din’ has given up hope in the Thai justice system, saying there is no point in trying to appeal the court’s verdict.</p>
<p>On 18 September 2017, <a href="http://isaanrecord.com/2017/09/18/pai_appeal/">the Isaan Record reported</a> that Viboom Boonpattararaksa, the father of Jatuphat ‘Pai Dao Din’ Boonpattararaksa, a law student and key democracy activist imprisoned for royal defamation, said he will not submit an appeal request for his son.</p>
<p>An embattled human rights lawyer accused of royal defamation has challenged the impartiality of the court in his case, as it is related to the monarchy. </p>
<p>On 18 September 2017, the Criminal Court on Ratchadapisek Road, Bangkok, held a deposition hearing for Prawais Prapanugool, a human rights lawyer accused of violating Articles 112 and 116 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law and the sedition law.</p>
<div>Citing the King’s wishes, a former lèse majesté prisoner has filed a petition urging the junta head to use his absolute power to abolish the lèse majesté law.</div>
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<div>On 12 September 2017, Ekachai Hongkangwan <a href="https://prachatai.com/journal/2017/09/73190">filed a petition</a> to junta head Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to invoke Section 44 of the Interim Constitution to terminate Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</div>
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<div>He said that after Jatuphat Boonpattaraksa, also known as Pai Dao Din, pleaded guilty of lèse majesté last mont
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<p>The public prosecutor has charged eight people with royal defamation for burning royal arches. </p>
<p>On 16 August 2017, at the Provincial Court of Phon District, Khon Kaen Province, the prosecutor indicted eight individuals (identities withheld due to privacy concerns) on charges of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law, criminal association, and destruction of public property, <a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=4913">Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported</a>.</p>
<p>The defence lawyer of Jatuphat ‘Pai Dao Din’ Boonpattararaksa has revealed that the renowned democracy activist chose to plead guilty because he was being tried in camera, with observers and the media not allowed into the courtroom.</p>
<p>After standing firm behind bars for almost eight months, the abrupt decision of Jatuphat, a law student and key democracy activist, to <a href="http://prachatai.org/english/node/7327">plead guilty</a> took many people by surprise.</p>
<p>A provincial court has handed a two and a half year jail term to a well-known democracy activist accused of lèse majesté for sharing a BBC biography of King Vajiralongkorn.</p>
<p>On 15 August 2017, the Provincial Court of Khon Kaen handed a five year sentence to Jatuphat ‘Pai Dao Din’ Boonpattararaksa, a law student and key democracy activist, accused of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</p>
<p>The court, however, halved the sentence to two years and six months as he pleaded guilty. Jatuphat has already spent eight months in detention.</p>
<p>A military court has sentenced an elderly man to almost 20 years in jail for royal defamation.</p>
<p>On 9 August 2017, the Military Court of Bangkok handed a sentence of 18 years and 24 months in prison to Tara W., a 59-year-old seller of Thai traditional medicine accused of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law, after he pleaded guilty.</p>
<p>He was believed to be the owner of a tourism website, <a href="http://103.208.24.21/">okthai.com</a>, which is now blocked by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.</p>