Don’t laugh at the silly hat either!
A Swiss man has been jailed for 10 years after pleading guilty to charges of insulting the Thai king.
Oliver Jufer, 57, was arrested last December after drunkenly spray-painting portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Jufer has been a Thai resident for a decade.
Judge Phitsanu Tanbukalee said that he received a reduced sentence since he had admitted his guilt.
King Bhumibol, the world’s longest-serving current head of state, is a very popular figure in Thailand.
If you’re asked – you had better say he’s very popular.
When in Thailand insult the king at your own risk. They definitely rever their king. I was with a Thai friend at an outdoor cafe and to steady the wobbly table I put a 10 baht coin under one of the legs. My Thai friend nearly had an apoplexy since the coin had a bust of the king on one side. I replaced it with a nickel and he was happy.
If he was resident for 10 year, he definitely should have known better. I was there only for a few weeks and I was very aware that you could not say or do anything bad when it comes to the king.
Now you can find the jail time ridiculous but when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
I bet Geoge W. Bush is green with envy.
In Pakistan it is against the law to insult the country OR the army!
It doesn’t happen often but people do get jailed for it. A couple of years ago, a professor was jailed because he questioned the official explanation for the partition of Pakistan. (and, no surprise, he only said something lots of people believe!)
Oh, I forgot to ask: did anyone else see Newt Gringrich saying on Fox that he thinks congress should make it illegal to insult the army? Yesterday, I think.
I honestly believe that the Conservative vision for America is essentially a Christian version of Pakistan.
5 – Nah. They’re not conservatives. They’re right-wing revolutionaries. Actual conservatives wouldn’t dream of making such a stupid proposal.
I seem to remember something like you cannot touch the top of the head of a thai person, only the King can do that? Something to that regard.
That hat ! Cripes ! That hat !
It gives dickhead a whole new meaning.
Hey.. Its Mr. Microphone..
Hey Baby.. We’ll be back to pick you up later..
Also, shouldn’t he be wearing a tie?
After all, he is the king of Thailand.
Maybe he wouldn’t be in such a snit
if they changed his diaper more often.
I sense a South Park episode coming.
It is unfortunate that this guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There reason he was given such a log sentence is political. Taskin the former prime minister, who was ousted in the coup, is going to be prosecuted under the same law.
#6 Nah. They’re not conservatives. They’re right-wing revolutionaries. Actual conservatives wouldn’t dream of making such a stupid proposal.
YAH. They most certainly are.
This “they’re not conservatives, they’re radicals” reminds me of the similar line that I hear all the time, “they’re not muslims, they’re radicals.” As if that somehow ends the discussion.
Fact is, this kind of thinking is modern conservatism. And not just the leaders — I’ll guess that hardly any rank-and-file conservatives would be bothered if liberals were jailed for insulting the military, as Newt wants.
You reasonable constitution-loving conservatives needs to take back your party. Until then, as it is, Newt Gringrich, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are the faces of modern conservatism.