http://news.linktv.org Link TV News Videos (Filtered by topics: Thaksin Shinawatra) en-us Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:31:00 -0800 Copyright 2011 Link Media, Inc. http://news.linktv.org/videos/thai-journalist-gets-decade-in-jail-for-insulting-king-linkasia-2113?start=0 In the latest of a string of successful prosecutions under Thailand's strict 'lese majeste' law, journalist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for offending the monarchy. LinkAsia speaks with Thai political journalist Saksith Saiyasombut about the state of free speech in Thailand and Thai reactions to the sentencing. Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:31:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/thai-journalist-gets-decade-in-jail-for-insulting-king-linkasia-2113 Thailand, Lèse majesté, Political journalism, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Freedom of the press, Censorship, Thai language, Freedom of speech, Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck Shinawatra In the latest of a string of successful prosecutions under Thailand's strict 'lese majeste' law, journalist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for offending the monarchy. LinkAsia speaks with Thai political journalist Saksith Saiyasombut about the state of free speech in Thailand and Thai reactions to the sentencing. http://news.linktv.org/videos/thai-editor-gets-10-years-for-printing-royal-insult?start=0 Human rights groups have slammed the latest harsh sentence under Thailand's lese majeste laws. Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, editor of a now-defunct magazine, was sentenced to a decade in prison for printing two articles critical of the country's monarchy.<br /> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:40:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/thai-editor-gets-10-years-for-printing-royal-insult Thailand, Lèse majesté, Politics of Thailand, Freedom of the press, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Censorship, Thaksin Shinawatra, Al Jazeera English Human rights groups have slammed the latest harsh sentence under Thailand's lese majeste laws. Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, editor of a now-defunct magazine, was sentenced to a decade in prison for printing two articles critical of the country's monarchy. http://news.linktv.org/videos/thai-protestors-clash-with-police-demand-pm-to-step-down?start=0 Seventeen thousand police officers have been deployed in Bangkok to deal with the biggest protests since last year's elections. The country's government is being accused of disloyalty to the monarchy and conspiring with their previous Prime Minister who now lives in exile. Sat, 24 Nov 2012 08:26:00 -0800 http://news.linktv.org/videos/thai-protestors-clash-with-police-demand-pm-to-step-down Thailand, Bangkok, Yingluck Shinawatra, Red Shirts, Thaksin Shinawatra, Politics of Thailand, Government of Thailand, Al Jazeera English Seventeen thousand police officers have been deployed in Bangkok to deal with the biggest protests since last year's elections. The country's government is being accused of disloyalty to the monarchy and conspiring with their previous Prime Minister who now lives in exile. http://news.linktv.org/videos/movie-based-on-shakespeares-macbeth-banned-in-thailand?start=0 In a politically divided nation, the government censors of Thailand have decided an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" called "Shakespeare Must Die" was too much for the people of the country to handle. Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:54:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/movie-based-on-shakespeares-macbeth-banned-in-thailand Shakespeare Must Die, Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand, Censorship, Red Shirts, Politics of Thailand, Film, Macbeth, William Shakespeare In a politically divided nation, the government censors of Thailand have decided an adaptation of one of Shakespeare's plays was too much for the people of the country to handle. 'Shakespeare Must Die' is a Thai language adaptation of Macbeth, and while the censors have not clarified what the specific problems are, it seems the political imagery had caught their attention. In the film, the grim reaper is dressed in red, the same color as a political movement closely associated with Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister. The main character, a dictator called Dear Leader, has been likened to Thaksin, whose sister Yingluck is the current prime minister. Thailand has a long history of strict censorship on moral and political grounds, something budding film makers believe will only change with time. Al Jazeera's Wayne Hays reports from Bangkok. http://news.linktv.org/videos/free-speech-on-trial-in-thailand?start=0 It is a criminal offense to criticize the royal family in Thailand, one that carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years. But why has there has been an increase in prosecutions in recent years? LinkAsia reports. Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:52:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/free-speech-on-trial-in-thailand Thailand, Lèse majesté, Yingluck Shinawatra, Politics of Thailand, Royal Thai Army, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Chakri Dynasty, Thaksin Shinawatra, Crime, Law It is a criminal offense to criticize the royal family in Thailand, one that carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years. CJ Hinke, the head of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand, provides an overview of Thailand's "lèse majesté" law, and explains why there has been an increase in prosecutions in recent years. ---- You've probably never heard of the French term "lèse-majesté." It means "offense to royalty". In Thailand, they know what it means all too well. It's a criminal offense that could land you in prison for 15 years. Recently, police arrested a Thai computer programmer for posting pictures and comments on Facebook. They were deemed insulting to Thailand's revered king. In the past few years, the number of people charged with "lèse-majesté" in Thailand has soared. To explain what's going on, C.J. Hinke joins us via Skype from Bangkok. He's the founder of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand. We're wondering if you could tell us a little bit about Thailand's "lèse-majesté" law. Why does a monarchy need this kind of protection? Well, in fact, the monarch doesn't need the protection but the bureaucrats and military in particular, want to maintain a close and cozy association with the monarchy to protect their positions. The number of cases brought under this law has risen dramatically since the 2006 military coup that drove Thaksin Shinawatra from power. Why the recent crackdown? Well, in fact as of today's date, there are 478 ongoing lèse-majesté prosecutions, including people in prison. What is interesting is that the computer programmer who was arrested a few days ago has now been joined by a second lèse-majesté prisoner. We of course consider these people to be political personage. They are intended to silence the opposition, to make everyone won't be afraid to speak out. Are prosecutions the only weapon they've been using to try to shut down people who've been speaking out against the royal government? Well, there is a lot of self-censorship going on in Thailand. But in fact, the government at the present date blocks more than 600,000 web pages for reasons of lèse-majesté, online pharmacies, so on and so forth. So they're not just using legal prosecution, they're also using technology to try to shut these down? Yes absolutely. And of course no one feels free to report on such issues and they are simply never discussed in the media here. Do you agree with critics who say that the law was used as a weapon against political opponents in the prior administration? Absolutely, but I think that all Thai governments have shown their true colors in trying to silence their opposition. I don't think this government has shown itself to be any better, even in only a couple of months in office. So even though the new Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra came in promising to stop unjust applications of the law, you don't think that in practice she's shown any departure from the policies of the prior administration? Of course, it would be inconceivable that she was not herself kept in the loop over these two recent prosecutions. Surely the Prime Minister is supposed to have enough power to stop such abuses. What do you expect to see in the future? Well I think that if we can create a more independent media that in fact I think the government will be more reluctant to act. It would be wonderful, if in fact they declare the same kind of amnesty for our 600 political prisoners that they would like to declare for Yingluck's brother. Thanks so much C.J., we really appreciate your comments. C.J. Hinke is the founder of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand, and you can read his posts at Global Voices Online. http://news.linktv.org/videos/reborn-in-bangkok-former-pimp-elected-mp?start=0 Among the newly-elected MPs entering the Thai Parliament this week was one Mr Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former brothel-owner and pimp. After exposing millions of pounds of bribes he paid to police, he has re-invented himself as an anti-corruption campaigner. Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:53:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/reborn-in-bangkok-former-pimp-elected-mp Thailand, Chuwit Kamolvisit, Member of parliament, Political corruption, Bangkok, Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin Shinawatra, Channel 4 News Among the newly-elected MPs entering the Thai Parliament this week was one Mr Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former brothel-owner and pimp. After exposing millions of pounds of bribes he paid to police, he has re-invented himself as an anti-corruption campaigner. http://news.linktv.org/videos/opposition-wins-thai-election?start=0 Thailand's opposition, led by Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of a former prime minister, wins the country's general election. This victory represents a triumph for the red-shirt protesters who clashed with the Thai army in 2010. Sun, 03 Jul 2011 17:20:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/opposition-wins-thai-election Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, Pheu Thai Party, Prime Minister of Thailand, Election, Royal Thai Army, Thaksin Shinawatra, Bangkok, Al Jazeera English Thailand may have its first female Prime Minister after the country's largest opposition party won the general election. The leader of the Pheu Thai party is Yingluck Shinawatra, the youngest sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister. Five years ago, her brother was removed from office in a coup. Despite a clear-cut winner being declared on Sunday, politics in Thailand can be a dirty game and many questions remain. Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay reports from Bangkok.