Thailand jails US man Joe Gordon for royal insult

[alp227]

Source: BBC

Thailand has jailed a US citizen for two and a half years after he admitted posting web links to a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Joe Gordon, a used car salesman from Colorado who was born in Thailand, admitted lese-majeste, or insulting the king, at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced to five years in jail, but the judges halved the term because of his guilty plea.

The US consul general in Thailand said the sentence was "severe".

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16081337

[ZombieHorde]

1. We humans really seem to be into punishing each other. nt

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

2. wonder how they got a confession out of him?

[Nolimit]

3. Insanity

Gordon committed all of his "offenses" in the US, which any rational person would consider to be outside Thai jurisdiction. I hope our government puts pressure on the Thai government and gets him released. The bizarre thing is that the king himself has stated that he should not be above criticism as he's a man who can make mistakes.

[SoapBox]

4. I have ZERO tolerance for "Royals"...

Screw 'em...that's how I feel about these types.

[Swagman]

6. The Thai Royal Family are revered by Thais and the laws of

lese majesty are well known by locals and ex-pats alike.

I think there is a good case for retaining the Thai Royals as they are like the glue that hold the country together. The King is highly regarded and has in the past signaled to the army and police to lay off during protests. I think the alternative is another general led dictatorship.

On the plus side this man will probably have his sentence quietly commuted or receive a reprieve from the King. That's what usually happens.

[gtar100]

5. Not much of a king if he's that thin skinned.

This is what the elite fight for everyday anyway - the ability to *force* respect from people. Seems that if one sells their soul for great riches and great power, the price they pay is their own personal integrity. So this "king" gets the satisfaction of throwing a guy in jail but in the process proves he's just another asshole hiding behind his title and his money. Wouldn't want to live and die being that kind of person.

[rpannier]

7. Actually he doesn't force it

An extremely large majority of the Thai people revere their King.
Go into a bar and even hint something negative about the King and you'll be lucky if the police get there to prevent you from being mauled within an inch of your life.
Drive/Ride along the roads throughout the rural areas of Thailand and many houses have a shrine to Buddha and a picture of the king displayed.
He is popular
The law is on the books because he is well loved and it actually prevents violence.

edited because I missed the part where he was living in the US