AFP
Thai man jailed for rubber duck calendar royal insult
A court in Thailand has jailed a man for two years for selling satirical calendars featuring yellow rubber ducks that prosecutors said defamed the royal family. Narathorn Chotmankongsin, 26, was initially given a three-year prison term but the sentence was commuted to two years without parole after the defendant gave testimony that was beneficial to the consideration.
BANGKOK, THAILAND — A court in Thailand has jailed a man for two years for selling satirical calendars featuring yellow rubber ducks that prosecutors said defamed the royal family.
The 2021 calendar featured a series of rubber ducks in poses that a Bangkok court ruled resembled Thailand’s king, who is protected by some of the world’s strictest lese majeste laws, which carry sentences of up to 15 years in prison.
Narathorn Chotmankongsin, 26, was initially given a three-year prison term Tuesday for selling the calendars on the popular pro-democracy Facebook page Ratsadon, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
“But the sentence was commuted to two years without parole after the defendant gave testimony that was beneficial to the consideration,” TLHR, a legal group that acts in many lese majeste cases, said in a statement.
The yellow bath toys became an accidental symbol of 2020’s pro-democracy protest movement after demonstrators used large inflatable ducks to shield themselves from police tear gas and water cannon.
Rubber-fowl-themed paraphernalia quickly came to dominate street marches, featuring on everything from hats to hair clips.
Thailand’s use of lese majeste laws has increased dramatically in recent years, with more than 200 people charged since 2020, according to TLHR.
Human Rights Watch said the court’s decision “shows that Thai authorities are now trying to punish any activity they deem to be insulting the monarchy”.
“This case sends a message to all Thais, and to the rest of the world, that Thailand is moving further away from — not closer to — becoming a rights-respecting democracy,” said HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson.
— AFP
57yo man arrested after attacking debt collectors with golf club during dispute
Man gets jail for pushing stranger into Singapore river, resulting in death
SJII under scrutiny as parents demand answers in wake of student’s death on Maldives school trip
SM Lee defends market approach for COE while Jamus Lim urges more empathy and social fairness
SM Lee defends COE system ‘works quite well’, says no easy way to distribute COEs fairly and cheaply
Singapore’s former president Halimah Yacob condemns ‘continuing carnage’ in Gaza and West Bank
Jurong minimart cashier jailed for stealing nearly S$57,000 to fund online gambling
Long-serving CDL director Philip Yeo to retire amid ongoing Kwek family boardroom rift
World Aquatics Championships open water races to proceed after E. coli concerns ease
Indonesian police rescue infants in baby-trafficking syndicate linked to Singapore
MAS posts record S$19.7B net profit, warns slower growth ahead amid tariffs uncertainty
Chinese traveller calls SQ Business Class ‘last century’ over seat issue, gets schooled on XHS
Comments5 days agoTan See Leng’s call for grads to ‘keep open mind’ draws public pushback amid job market worries
Civil Society6 days agoCamira: Email to MP Rahayu Mahzam unanswered; hand-delivered letters to PMO more impactful for Palestine
Politics7 days agoTrump’s nominee for Singapore ambassador, Anjani Sinha, faces tough Senate grilling over knowledge gaps
Food6 days agoJollibean workers claim unpaid wages as multiple outlets close across Singapore
Malaysia7 days agoFormer Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad turns 100
Comments6 days agoCommuters report EWL delays near Jurong East on 10 July evening, but no SMRT official announcement
Defense6 days agoLeopard 2SG tank hit traffic light: MINDEF says first technical fault in Singapore Army’s L2SG fleet
Crime6 days ago27-year-old man charged over suspected role in money mule activities