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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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 Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 12:44 pm Post subject: Ex-Riyadh Teacher Gets out of the Pen |
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They let him out. Where will he show up next ? Back in KSA ? If he continues scribbling he could be in trouble again !
ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7903019.stm |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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The Thailand 'lese-majeste' law is pretty horrific. They are basically being used to repress political opposition.
The best the King could do is tell Parliament to repeal them and, if the legistlative iniative fails, arrest those who vote against for 'lese majeste'. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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The Thailand 'lese-majeste' law is pretty horrific. They are basically being used to repress political opposition. |
That's as may be, but as far as I know it dos have the support fo the vast majority of Thais. In any case, I hardly think Mr. Nicolaides was making a principled stand for freedom of speech. Rather, he chose to broke a law which he doubtless was fully aware of, in the arrogant belief that he could escape the consequences.
BTW I couldn't help sniggering at this line from the report:
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| The case had become a real cause celebre in Australia, says the BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney, with Mr Nicolaides's imprisonment violating a basic Australian sense of fair play. |
Aussie fair play? Like leaving shiploads of refugees adrift in the sea?
BTW I also would not be surprised if Harry turns up in Riyadh again, especially if his "My Bangkok Jail Hell" novel doesn't get serialised int he Sydney Morning Post.
BTW Scot the link is not complete:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7903019.stm[url][/url] |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Perhaps the sequel to "My Bangkok Jail Hell" will be "My Riyadh Jail Hell," and if so, I suspect that will make his time in the Thailand hoosegow seem like a spring stroll in the park. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| They don't have the support of the vast majority of Thais. They are being used by a minority of Thais in power to suppress the majority who are disaffected. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 5:17 pm Post subject: |
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| How can you tell ? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't know, Cleo. Thailand is a freewheeling kind of society, and isn't it sort of easy to be lulled into complacency? If you're not alert, it seems to me you might tend to assume that if you can go to live sex shows, you can probably write a few critical things about the royalty in a self-published book-like object... without drastic consequences. Probably more bumbling than arrogant, I think... |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 11:27 pm Post subject: |
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From the BBC article:
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| Before he was jailed in January, the Bangkok court said a passage about an unnamed crown prince in the author's self-published fictional book, Verisimilitude, had caused "dishonour" to the Thai royal family. |
Millions of forced prostitutes, sex-toursim, pedo-tourism, raunchy open sexuality, human rights abuses, and massive poverty bring infinitely more dishonour to the Thai Royal family, ruling governments, Thai people, and humanity at large, than any fictonal passage about a fictional crown prince of the Thai Royal family.
But then again, you can't talk logic to dictators, can you? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:15 am Post subject: |
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Dear trapezius,
Dictators usually dictate - that is, they have real power. The Thai king seems to have about as much "real power" as, say. Queen Elizabeth II (another constitutional monarch.)
"The Monarchy of Thailand (also referred to as the King of Thailand) (Thai: พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย) refers to the constitutional monarchy and monarch of the Kingdom of Thailand (formerly Siam). The King of Thailand is the head of state and head the ruling Royal House of Chakri. As a constitutional monarch the powers of the King is limited to a symbolic figurehead, however the institution elicits huge amount of respect and reverence from the Thai people."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Thailand |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:15 am Post subject: |
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I don't know, Cleo. Thailand is a freewheeling kind of society, and isn't it sort of easy to be lulled into complacency |
Thailand is certainly free-wheeling in that it provides cheap thrills for men with sleazy tastes, but I think it's pretty well known that, despite the apparant easy-going society, one thing you CANNOT do is insult the royal family. I've only spent a couple of days in Thailand - on the way to somewhere else - and even I know that. It's very difficult to believe that Harry, who had spent long periods in Thailand working as a 'journalist' was blissfully unaware of the lese majeste laws. So I hold to my view that we are dealing with an all too typical case of white man's arrogance here.
BTW again I'm no expert, but everythng I've heard indicates to me that the royals are very popular with the vast majority of Thais. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| you'd see the problem. |
Of course I see the problem, just as I do with any restraints on free speech - be they the blasphemy laws still in force in Britain, Holocaust denial laws in some European countries, not to mention the far wider restrictions on free expression in the country we've all chosen to live in.
I just don't see what any of this has to do with Mr. Nicolaides' case. He was aware of the laws of the land, just as we are aware of the laws of this land - being aware of a law does not mean we have to in any way approve of it. However, Nicolaides chose to flout the law, and he paid the price. I'm glad that he's been pardoned, but that does not mean I do not consider him to have been incredibly foolish and arrogant. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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The point is, dear Cleo, that this does have a lot to do with the Nicolaides case. Thai right-wingers are using the lese-majeste laws to silence political dissent; Harry just got caught in the crossfire. As well as sending the mandatory copy to the National Library he'd also sent a copy to the Ministry of Culture and another Ministry, and presumably when the order came to crack down on political dissent one of the petty bureaucrats there decided to read it.
Have you not noticed how the book was written in 2005, but the trial only took place in 2009? Had it not been for the Sept 2006 'Royal and Democratic' coup the prosecution would not have taken place.
Is it that your moniker's gone to your head, and you really believe you are distressed royalty? |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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| I have it on good aithority that the person who posts as "Cleopatra" is actually a republican. She is no friend of "Prince and Peer" ! |
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