<div> <div>A rock singer’s charity campaign has sparked debate over the ethics of donations, while a senior academic is facing a lèse majesté lawsuit for criticising King Naresuan, who ruled the kingdom of Ayutthaya 400 years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Thailand’s lèse majesté law is notorious for its excessive punishments and broad interpretations. </div></div>

<div>The first case of lèse-majesté under Thailand’s new &nbsp;King Vajiralongkorn accuses an undergraduate law student. Both Jatupat ‘Pai’ Boonpattararaksa’s youthful grin in newspapers and the petty nature of his crime — sharing a BBC article on his Facebook wall — make the young man a puzzling suspect. He does not appear as one of the country’s most dastardly criminals..&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Instead, Pai seems startlingly relatable — something to unsettle the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). </div>

<div> <div>The first lèse majesté suspect under King Rama X claims that prison staff have repeatedly searched his rectum for drugs.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 5 January 2017, Jatuphat ‘Pai’ Boonpattaraksa, a key member of the New Democracy Movement (NDM) and Dao Din anti-junta activist groups, told Prachatai that every time he returns to prison from court, authorities order him to bend down so that his rectum may be searched.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Despite Jatuphat’s protests that he should not be subjected to this treatment since he is a political suspect, not a drug suspect </div></div>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Thai authorities reportedly planned to implement a surveillance device starting from 15 September to sniff out Thai Internet users, specifically targeting those producing and reading lèse majesté content, a report says. Although the report is yet to be confirmed, it has created greater climate of fear among media.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Prachatai has received unconfirmed reports from two different sources. </div>