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| A very subtle hat you've got there. |
Bad news if you're looking to publish that short story you've been shopping around about a murderous ghost. The Thai king might put you in jail if he doesn't approve.
Jakrapob Penkair wrote two small, fictional stories for a now-defunct Thai magazine, in which editor Somyot Pruksakasemsuk oversaw its publication. According to the New York Times, one tale was about a murderous family that plots to kill millions in an effort to maintain power and control. The second tale tells the story of a murderous ghost that plots massacres. In other words, light reading.
Neither story mentions the monarchy or the king by name. Regardless, Penkair fled the country for Cambodia once things became hot. Pruksakasemsuk stayed and fought the law, arguing the law violated a right to free expression.
The court disagreed, claiming the Thai king deserved "special protection" because he is the "center of the nation," and insulting the king "wounds the feelings of Thais who respect and worship the king."
Pruksakasemsuk was sentenced to ten years in jail.
And to think the crap Shakespeare got away with regarding ghosts and kings.
That smiling casual man of leisure wearing the understated hat is Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej--also known as a fine lover of fictional short stories.
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