KEY POINTS:
A Swiss man was sentenced to ten years in a Thai prison yesterday.
Oliver Jufer's "crime" was insulting the Thai King: in a drunken spree he vandalised several portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej with black spraypaint.
The 57-year-old Mr Jufer has one month to appeal, but
Thai lawyers say he has little hope of success. Mr Jufer's imprisonment could not have come at a worse time for Thailand's image abroad, with its vitally important tourism industry already suffering from last year's military coup.
If they weren't already thinking twice, tourists will know a holiday in Thailand carries the risk of a lengthy jail sentence if you so much as criticise the King.
At the same time the generals have been pushing to have martial law reimposed in Bangkok to stop pro-democracy demonstrations. Mr Jufer's trial overshadowed an announcement from the military-backed government yesterday that elections will be held to restore democracy in December.
The Swiss man, a long-term resident of Thailand, is being jailed under the country's archaic lese-majeste laws, that were enforced long before the generals seized power last year. Thailand is one of very few countries in the world that still enforce lese-majeste. Any criticism of the King or royal family is illegal.
Many Thais have run afoul of the lese-majeste law, but Mr Jufer is thought to be the first foreigner to be jailed under it. He was arrested in Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination where he lived, after he went around the city late at night spraypainting portraits of the king that had been put up for his birthday.
He was caught on closed circuit surveillance cameras. Police said Mr Jufer was drunk when he vandalised the pictures. He was originally sentenced to 20 years, but the judge reduced the sentence because Mr Jufer pleaded guilty.
The 79-year-old Bhumibol, the world's longest serving head of state, is generally thought to be very popular in Thailand. But it is hard to gauge his true popularity, since criticising him is illegal.
The lese-majeste law is rarely questioned, at least in part because calling for it to be repealed could amount to breaking it and land you in prison.
A French businessman was arrested in 1994 for breaking the law even though he wasn't in Thailand. He was on a Thai Airways flight and made critical remarks about a Thai princess who was on board. But he was acquitted.
The king is believed to have given last year's coup his blessing.
Mr Jufer's imprisonment came even as the civilian government appointed by the generals last year showed its first signs of independence. The leader of the coup, General Sonthi Boonyaratgalin, had been pressing for a state of emergency to be declared in Bangkok to stop growing protests calling for a return to democracy.
But Surayud Chulanont, the Prime Minister, Gen Sonthi appointed, said yesterday there was no need for a state of emergency, and announced elections for December.
As for Mr Jufer, legal experts say his chances of winning on appeal are slim. There has been no protest from the Swiss government, in public at least. It appears his best hope of not spending the next ten years behind bars lies with a royal pardon.
- INDEPENDENT