The Thai-born US citizen is being charged with insulting the monarchy after he posted material deemed offensive on his blog and put a link to a banned book, authorities said today.
Even though he had committed those acts while he was in the US, Thailand is proceeding against him.
Lerpong Wichaikhammat, 54, is also known as Joe W. Gordon and holds dual US and Thai citizenship. He was arrested earlier this week in Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand) by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) – Thailand’s equivalent of the FBI in the United States.
“He translated articles which are deemed insulting to the monarchy and posted them on his blog. Also he provided a link to a book perceived as critical of the royal family”, divulged police Lieutenant Colonel Kovit Tardmee.
Wichaikhammat is currently being held at Bangkok Remand Prison. He has been denied bail during a hearing on Thursday. A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Bangkok said he has been receiving consular assistance as of today.
“He was charged with lèse majesté, subversion and uploading or linking to false information under the Computer Crime Act,” an official at Thailand’s Criminal Court told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Wichaikhammat had left Thailand when he was 35 and had returned for medical treatment in November 2009. He had planned to return to the US in December 2011. The US embassy said that it was providing consular assistance to the man.
The monarchy is an extremely sensitive subject in politically divided Thailand, which is preparing for an election on July 3. Lese-majeste, or insulting the monarchy, is a very serious offence in Thailand, with each offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 83, the world’s longest-reigning monarch and revered as a demi-god by many Thais, has been in hospital since September 2009, making an appearance only on rare occasions.
