On 22 May, Niphit Intarasombat, Minister of Culture and the Democrat Party candidate for Phatthalung, said, in response to a public call to amend the law made by a group of writers last week, that he did not see any problem with the lèse majesté law and its enforcement.

The group of writers, led by SEA Write award winners including Binla Sankalakiri, Prabda Yun and Sakariya Amataya, published an open letter on 19 May calling for amendment of the law, and invited their fellow writers to join the call.  So far about 200 signatures have been collected.

The Minister said that in amending any law one had to consider the social and cultural realities of the country.  Thailand is among the few countries which still have the institution of the monarchy, so a law like Article 112 should remain, he said.

‘I’ve never seen Article 112 being used as a political tool, and over 99% of politicians have no problem with the law.  I’ve travelled to several countries which used to have monarchies.  People there all said in unison that they regretted that they no longer had monarchs, and they wished to have them restored as head of state and a unifying figure.  But Thailand still has a monarch as head of state and a unifying force, so we should have the law to protect the institution,’ he said.

If Article 112 is amended and moved to the chapter which deals with defamation of individuals, he believes that eventually reduction of penalties or compromise it will be proposed.

The proposal by the Nitirassadorn group to have the Office of HM’s Principal Private Secretary make complaints will create more problems, because that will make the institution a litigant against the people.  It is already appropriate that people can make complaints, because this is an offence against national security, Niphit said.

In their letter, the writers, mostly of the young generation, say that freedom of expression is fundamental and essential to their profession, and Article 112 has currently been used as a political tool to intimidate and persecute many people.

They say that the law has been so broadly interpreted that even not standing for the royal anthem can be an offence, and legal proceedings in many cases have not been conducted with due process.

It is time for Thai society to differentiate ‘overthrowing of the monarchy’ from discussions which will lead to social stability in the long term and protection of the people’s freedom of expression under the democratic system with the King as Head of State, they say.

They call for the immediate amendment of the law, and suggest that proposals made by the Nitirassadorn group, Somsak Jeamteerasakul and others be considered.

They also urge those who lay claim to the institution in exerting their political power, such as the military, to stop doing so.