<div>
<div>Citing weak evidence, a Bangkok court has dismissed a l?se majest? charge against a singer-turned-red-shirt activist who made a comparison between Thailand and Denmark, where the King has to stop at traffic lights. His three other royal defamation charges remain, however.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>On 29 March 2018, the Criminal Court, Bangkok, acquitted Thanat Thanawatcharanon, 60, also known as Tom Dundee, a former country singer and a red-shirt activist, of a l?se majest? charge.
</div></div>
<div>
<div>A singer-turned-red-shirt-activist has pleaded guilty to a fourth lèse majesté charge for comparing Thailand with Denmark, where the King has to stop at traffic lights.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>On 13 February 2018, the Bangkok Criminal Court tried Thanat Thanawatcharanon, 60, whose stage name is <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/5187">Tom Dundee</a>, on a charge of lèse majesté, a violation of Article 112 of the Criminal Code, for a speech at a red-shirt rally in 2011 in Lamphun Province.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>According to the prosecutor, Thanat’s speech constituted
</div></div>
<div>
<div>A prosecutor in Ratchaburi has indicted a red-shirt country singer for lèse majesté, without giving prior notice to the suspect or his lawyer.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>On 25 January 2018, a public prosecutor in Ratchaburi indicted Thanat Thanawatcharanon, 60, whose stage name is Tom Dundee, for lèse majesté under Article 112 of the Criminal Code.
</div></div>
<p>The Military Court has given a well-known anti-establishment red-shirt country singer an extra three years and four months’ imprisonment for lèse majesté to add to an earlier sentence of seven years and six months.</p>
<p>The Military Court of Bangkok on Monday morning, 11 July 2016, handed Thanat Thanawatcharanon, 58, aka Tom Dundee, a country singer turned red-shirt activist, five years in prison for offences under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</p>
<p>The sentence, however, was reduced by one third to three years and four months after Thanat pleaded guilty.</p>
<p>The Criminal Court has sentenced a well-known anti-establishment red-shirt country singer to seven years and six months in prison for lèse majesté, making him promise to grow trees to honour the Thai monarchy after his release.</p>
<p>On Wednesday morning, 1 June 2016, the Criminal Court on Ratchadapisek Rd, Bangkok, sentenced Thanat Thanawatcharanon, 58, aka Tom Dundee, a country singer-turned-red-shirt activist, to 15 years’ imprisonment for offences under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</p>
<p>After being imprisoned for almost two years, a well-known anti-establishment red-shirt country singer recanted earlier statements and pleaded guilty to a lèse majesté charge.</p>
<p>At the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Rd., Bangkok, on Monday morning, Thanat Thanawatcharanon, 58, aka Tom Dundee, a country singer-turned-red-shirt activist, pleaded guilty to an offence under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</p>
<p>Thanat was indicted on two lèse majesté charges.</p>
By Metta Wongwat |
<div>Thanat Thanawatcharanon aka Tom Dundee was recognized as a celebrity for more than a decade before he disappeared from the media. Recently he re-appeared after being accused of defaming the monarchy and violating orders of the military government.</div>
<p></p>
<div>A red-shirt activist urged that his case must not be tried by a military court since the crime was committed before the coup makers’ order was issued to have lèse majesté cases tried by military courts. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thanat Thanawatcharanon, aka Tom Dundee, a country singer-turned-red-shirt activist, who was charged with lèse majesté, has sent a letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to help transfer his case to the criminal court. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Among other reasons, he said his alleged lèse majesté speech was delivered in June 2013 whil
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>Bangkok Military Court on Monday sentenced an anti-coup protester to six months in jail and sentenced red-shirt figure ‘Tom Dundee’ to a year in jail for not reporting as ordered by the junta. The sentences were halved and suspended because they pleaded guilty.
</div></div>