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A 57-year-old Swiss man has gone on trial in Thailand on charges of insulting the king after allegedly defacing portraits of the monarch. If found guilty, Oliver Jufer faces up to 75 years in prison - 15 years on each of five charges.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has been on the throne for 60 years, is revered in Thailand. He and other members of the royal family are protected by lese-majeste laws barring any criticism of them. This case throws a rare spotlight on Thailand's draconian laws against any criticism of the monarchy. Oliver Jufer was arrested last December in Chiang Mai after allegedly defacing several portraits of King Bhumibol with black paint. King Bhumibol Adulyadej is venerated in Thailand almost as a living god but the laws protecting his and the rest of the royal family's reputations make it impossible for any critical voices to be heard, or for any discussion of the monarchy's future to take place. The king is nearly 80 years old and privately many Thais worry about the capabilities of his successor. No challenge King Bhumibol himself appeared to condemn the law in a recent birthday speech, saying it was wrong to put him above criticism. "I am not afraid if the criticism concerns what I do wrong, because then I know," he said. "If you say the king cannot be criticised, it means that the king is not human." But no one else here seems willing to challenge the current legislation. The lese-majeste law allows any Thai citizen to bring charges of insulting the monarchy. Members of the royal family never initiate proceedings. It was used several times last year as supporters and opponents of then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra attempted to discredit each other. Most of those cases have since been dropped by the police.
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