Chiranuch Premchaiporn
The owner of a Thai news site who was not quick enough to remove offensive comments against the Thai royal family faces a prison sentence of 20 years.
This is evident from the handling of the criminal case against her in the capital Bangkok.
It concerns ten comments that were posted by unknown visitors to the news site Prachatai. The site was founded by Thai journalists, MPs and activists Thailand function as an independent daily newspaper.
National security
The lawsuit stems from special internet legislation that was introduced in 2007 by the then interim government. Not only hacking is punishable, but also the distribution of material that is considered harmful to national security. This includes insulting the royal family.
The law has been sharply criticized by human rights activists from the outset. The international organization Human Rights Watch said last week that the criminal prosecution of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, as the owner of the site is called, "is a chilling message for webmasters and internet companies".
Journalistic courage
Premchaiporn, better known on the internet under the pseudonym Jiew, is the first to be prosecuted under the law. Last year she received another prize for journalistic bravery from the International Women's Media Foundation.
Source: HLN.be
Independent = dangerous = enemies… (could)
Hope it works out, it's already so poor here independent and honest
Perhaps that is not possible at all (and then I respect that) but the obvious thing to do is to ask His Majesty himself if he considers himself offended.