Lèse majesté
15 February 2009 by Mike GogulskiPosted in art, prison | 14 Comments »
Australian writer Harry Nicolaides was sentenced on 19 January 2009 to three years in prison for breaking Thailand’s lèse majesté law, which establishes criminal penalties for denigrating Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej or members of the Thai royal family. Apparently Nicolaides wrote something in a book which less than a dozen people ever purchased which was interpreted as a violation of the law. He pled guilty to avoid a longer sentence.
Bhumibol, usually referred to as “revered” by the Thai people, seems to be in the habit of pardoning foreigners convicted of lèse majesté, as he did in the case a few years back of a Swiss man sentenced to ten years for spray-painting over posters of the King’s face while drunk. Not so lucky, it seems, are native Thais, who for uttering a few words or putting together a series of images or any number of other otherwise innocuous acts can find themselves in prison for three to fifteen years under some of the most horrible conditions imaginable. Hang in there, Harry.
Fuck kings, and fuck Bhumibol. There, I said it. Further, the images here should make me persona non grata in Thailand so long as the idiotic lèse majesté law survives. Placing images of other people above that of the King: verboten. Juxtaposition of King with feet: offensive. Thirteen feet: unlucky.
Now I gotta think up some way to insult Turkishness…
Australian writer Harry Nicolaides in a detention cell at Bangkok's Criminal Court, 19 January 2009
13-foot mandala for King Bhumibol
14 Responses to “Lèse majesté”
By DixieFlatline on 15 February 2009
You wanna leave the Turks alone. They are masters of the d-disk operating system, if you get my drift. It’s not worth inflaming them. Seriously.
By Dr. D on 15 February 2009
The whole lese majeste thing is merely a tool, not of the king, but of the military dictatorship that runs the place. The king disapproves, but he’s got very little real power – they’ll let him pardon foreigners who get caught by the ever-widening net of the law, but when the military goons use it to nab somebody they consider dangerous (to themselves), I imagine they make it quite clear to the king that this guy’s not fit for a pardon.
That said, I wouldn’t trust a king as far as I could throw him. England’s got the right idea IMO, stuff ‘em in a gilded cage, feed ‘em regularly, and take ‘em out for a parade every now and then so people can point and say “Wow! Just imagine, Billy: people used to let those useless inbred looneys tell them what to do.”
By John on 18 February 2009
I say it with you, Mike: Fuck Bhumibol and fuck the entire Thai royal family. Fuck everyone in the Thai government who ever considers enforcing this inane law.
By Darian W on 18 February 2009
heh heh heh How about an Insult Thai Officials Photoshop Contest? We can send the lot of them to Thai government offices to judge the winner.
By DixieFlatline on 23 February 2009
These are the most neurotic people ever.
Protect the king!
protecttheking.net
By Tools on 23 March 2009
wow, I’m a platformist anarchist myself, but “Fuck kings, and fuck Bhumibol. There, I said it.” is the most self-congratulatory bullshit I’ve ever read. As if you’re being courageous for saying it, adding “further, the images here should make me persona non grata in Thailand so long as the idiotic lèse majesté law survives.” is just sickening. It’s a disgrace to people that actually have to deal with this kind of persecution.
Yea, you’re really fucking baddass man, if you ever go to thailand (and you know you won’t) they’ll be really pissed you posted pictures of the king with feet on your blog.
The military junta and the king that rule thailand have never heard of you, you’ll never be within their reach even if they did, and nothing you’re saying in this article is as edgy or heroic as you seem to think it is.
You give anarchists a bad name, just another whiny kid making statements in ways he knows will never change anything or provoke any real consequences. Coward, go out and actually do something for the movement.
By Mike Gogulski on 23 March 2009
Reasons to avoid platformists and other commie wankers, +1…
By Anonymous on 19 October 2009
fuck you harry! and 7 responders.
You should mind your own business and your countries.
Every country has its own law and you all should abide by it. Don’t even think that you the aliens will have any privilege much more than us.
Fuck you once again
By Daniel on 19 October 2009
You mother fucker!
Don’t you think you deserve a detention? But I do.
You deserve it because of your bad mouth and our law violation.
If you want to criticize a person, why not pick one from your own country. Lots of bad things in your country is awaiting for you to dig it out. Don’t be nosy to other’s business.
By therealritasue on 19 October 2009
Haha, you’re in trouble now, Mike!
By Mike Gogulski on 19 October 2009
Trembling here now…
By .. on 28 October 2009
you so shit !!!!
you can’t do this with our king
remember!!
many people can kill you that you commit lese-majesty
you!! go to hell
By hahahaha on 13 November 2009
poor Harry Nicolaides
By a man on 25 November 2009
go to hell, Australian!!!
Shittt!!
Fuck Harry Nicolaides
Fuck Australian!!!