Thai webmaster jailed for defaming monarchy

Thai webmaster jailed for defaming monarchy

Thanthawut Taweewarodomkul...jailed 13 years on charges of defaming the monarchy and violating the Computer Crime ActA Thai court court has sentenced the administrator of an anti-government website to 13 years imprisonment on charges of defaming the monarchy and violating the Computer Crime Act.

The Criminal Court on Tuesday gave Thanthawut Taweewarodomkul 10 years on a charge of defaming the monarchy known as lese majeste.He received another three years after being found guilty of breaching a broadly defined Computer Crime Act.

The 38-year-old ran a website affiliated with the anti-government Red Shirt movement whose aggressive street protests last year deteriorated into violence and were quashed by the army.

Thailand's constitution guarantees freedom of speech but the government has blocked access to thousands of web pages it considers subversive.
Source: Straits Times/ANN

Published Mar 27 2011