no freedom here

[realthog]

Here's the kind of story you expect to find associated with tyrannical hellholes like Zimbabwe or North Korea, not supposedly benign Thailand:

Writer jailed for Thai 'insult'

Australian writer Harry Nicolaides has been sentenced to three years in a Thai jail for insulting the monarchy.

Nicolaides wrote a novel four years ago, which contained a brief passage referring to an unnamed crown prince. It sold just seven copies.

He admitted the charge of insulting the royal family, but said he was unaware he was committing an offence.

Criticism of those in authority is the lifeblood of democracy; closer to home, we've seen the cost of its lack as loyal Bushies for several years did their best to smother dissent by stigmatizing all critics as traitors, terrorists or worse, thereby stampeding us into two unnecessary and almost certainly unwinnable wars, possibly fatal delays in tackling global warming, vastly increased environmental pollution, a surge in the rates of not just poverty but gross poverty, a slew of war crimes, the abolition of habeas corpus, and the worst global economic crisis in at least generations. Thailand's draconian laws persecuting anyone who offers even the most tangential criticism of the royal family are an obscenity, making a mockery of all other claims -- and there are many -- that the country has to democracy. Shame on them.

Comments

[teacher-bear.livejournal.com]

Well, it's not that long ago they had all the bowing and kowtowing etc. Doesn't take much to bring a return to those practices and narrow minded bigotry.

I agree with what you wrote about the 'bushies'. Coming from a land where it is fair game and expected to criticise the royals and political leaders, I don't understand the paranoia here. Mind you, seems like another form of McCarthyism to me. The old 'reds under the beds' card was raised more than once during the election campaign. Obviously a president slightly to the left of liberal will be hell bent on seeing this nation become communist. (I write in jest, just in case anyone misses my sarcasm here!)

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"Obviously a president slightly to the left of liberal"

That's right -- he was accused of being "by far the most liberal senator of all" despite the fact that this is demonstrably a lie. (And, anyway, alongside Obama someone like David Cameron looks like a rabid leftie.) 'Course, I reckon the lie probably gained Obama a few extra votes from people who might otherwise have voted for a genuinely leftist candidate . . .

"Coming from a land where it is fair game and expected to criticise the royals and political leaders, I don't understand the paranoia here."

I find it astonishing, and very disturbing. Most worrying of all is that there are now some who feel it's their duty to stifle any criticism of Obama -- despite the fact that, by all indications, such stifling of dissent is absolute anathema to Obama himself.