Whoever defames, insults, or threatens the King, Queen, Heir-apparent, or Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years. This is commonly known as the lese-majeste law of Thailand.
Section 112 prohibits defaming, insulting, or threatening the King, Queen, Heir-apparent, or Regent, carrying a penalty of 3-15 years imprisonment per count. It is one of the most strictly enforced provisions in the entire Criminal Code.
Derived from historical lese-majeste laws dating back centuries. The current form was codified in the B.E. 2499 Criminal Code. The penalty range was increased to 3-15 years by amendment.
This law applies equally to Thai nationals and foreigners, including online speech. Anyone in Thailand should exercise extreme caution regarding commentary about the Thai monarchy.
Publishing content online that defames the monarchy constitutes a Section 112 offence. The defendant posted messages on a public internet forum that were found to insult the monarchy. The Court held that online publication is a means of commission of the offence just as print or oral statements, and that the widespread accessibility of internet content may be considered an aggravating factor in sentencing. The Computer Crimes Act may apply concurrently for the act of uploading the content.
Section 112 criminalizes defaming, insulting, or threatening the King, Queen, Heir-apparent, or Regent. The defendant made public statements that were found to be defamatory toward the monarchy. The Court held that the provision protects the institution of the monarchy and the persons occupying the specified royal positions. The intent to defame may be inferred from the nature and content of the statements, and truth is not a defense under this section as it differs fundamentally from ordinary defamation provisions.
The Supreme Court ruled that disrespectful conduct during the royal anthem, including making disruptive comments and failing to stand properly, constitutes a lèse-majesté offense under Section 112. The decision established that Section 112 protects not only against verbal defamation of the monarchy but also disrespectful conduct directed at the royal institution.
Disclaimer: The English translation is unofficial and for informational purposes only. The authoritative text is in Thai as published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette (Ratchakitchanubeksa).ข้อสงวนสิทธิ์: คำแปลภาษาอังกฤษเป็นคำแปลอย่างไม่เป็นทางการ เพื่อวัตถุประสงค์ในการให้ข้อมูลเท่านั้น ข้อความที่เป็นทางการเป็นภาษาไทยตามที่ประกาศในราชกิจจานุเบกษา