The Thai military government last month requested the extradition of Thai nationals who fled to the two countries long ago after being accused of offences under the draconian law. Some are said to have taken refuge after the military crackdown in 2010 while others ran from the lese majeste hunts after the 2014 coup.
Authorities in Bangkok say three of the suspects are in Cambodia and six are in Laos, but their legal status in the two countries remains unclear. It is very rare for either country to grant political asylum to Thai fugitives.
Thailand has had an extradition treaty with Cambodia since 2001 and with Laos since 1999. Both pacts contain grounds for mandatory refusal of extraction if there is a political offence involved. Extraction must be rejected if there is well-founded reason to suppose that the requesting government aims to institute criminal proceedings against the person sought on account of race, religion, nationality or political opinion, or that judicial proceedings will be prejudiced for any of those reasons.
The treaty with Cambodia even makes clear that extradition must be rejected if the requesting party has found the fugitive guilty in absentia.
Lese majeste is a political crime by nature, since the law in question effectively prevents any debate on the Kingdom’s head of state, rendering them “untouchable”. Article 112 of the Thai Penal Code says “whoever, defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years”.
Thai governments and their supporters routinely abuse Article 112 by using it to gag political opponents. Exploiting the monarchy’s high status in society, authorities enforce the lese majeste as if the country were still ruled by an absolute monarchy.
The bar on politicised extradition was affirmed when Phnom Penh rejected a request made by the Abhisit government in 2009 for the extradition of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, on grounds that his conviction in absentia on corruption charges in 2008 was motivated by politics after the 2006 coup.
It is important to note, though, that Thai-Cambodian relations were strained at the time by the Preah Vihear territorial dispute and also Phnom Penh’s decision to name Thaksin as an economic adviser.
In these latest extradition cases, Thailand might be able to convince Laos and Cambodia that the lese majeste allegations have no political basis. However, the treaties explicitly prohibit extradition of persons accused of crimes that are not recognised in the host country. There is no lese majeste law in Laos, a republic, while defaming the monarchy in Cambodia results in lenient jail term of maximum six months, which the treaty does not allow extradition.
However, deportation of suspects can occur outside the jurisdiction of the extradition treaties. Unless the fugitives have been granted political asylum from their host country or the United Nations, they could be deported either for alleged simple criminal offences or for illegal entry.
Thailand set a norm on this point in 2004, when it deported 16 Lao rebels who had stormed a border post at Vang Tao in 2000. A Thai court had earlier rejected a Lao extradition request on grounds that it cited a political offence. Just months later, Thai authorities deported the fugitives for illegal entry. They have been in prison in southern Champasak province ever since.
The Laos incident has become a classic case study for law students, showing how reciprocity and good relations between countries can outweigh treaties when it comes to decisions on extradition.

With the price of paddy falling to as low as Bt5 per kilogram, many farmers have been plunged into deep financial trouble this harvest season. However, many people are now offering assistance as farmers in many areas try to adapt to the problem.
Kasetsart University lecturer Decharut Sukkumnoed said after a workshop on Sunday at the university’s faculty of economics that many people and organisations had volunteered to relieve farmers’ financial burdens.
“There has been a lot of good news regarding the farmer financial crisis right now, as many people have offered help to farmers’ families who are planning to sell their parents’ rice,” Decharut said.
He said the Commerce Ministry had ordered Provincial Commerce Offices across the country to help farmers’ families to directly sell rice. Meanwhile, many rice mills in Chiang Rai, Payao, Chai Nat and Suphan Buri have volunteered to mill and store rice for private direct sales.
He also said many organisations had offered free spaces for rice vendors both in Bangkok and other provinces. In Bangkok, Thammasat and Kasetsart universities have designated space for rice sellers to open shop on their campuses.
“I have received offers from IT firms that can help to develop online platforms to sell rice for farmers and their family members. This is including mobile applications that allow the customers to order rice products from farmers directly. The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives is also considering providing low-interest loans for rice direct sellers too,” Decharut said.
The campaign for farmers’ families to directly sell rice, which was initiated by Decharut to tackle the lowest paddy prices in a decade, is gaining traction on the Internet as farmers have started to advertise their products on social media, while other people have volunteered to help by designing packaging and providing free marketing.
However, E-sarn Organic Agricultural Community Enterprise Network director Ronwarit Pariyachattrakul criticised the direct-sales model, which might help farmers obtain higher prices in the short term, but did not solve the farming crisis in the long term.
“We need to shift our rice production to organic and rebrand Thai rice to be premium organic rice in order to raise the prices in the international market. If we are successful, our rice price will be higher automatically and demand for our rice will increase,” Ronwarit said.
“Our network has been producing organic jasmine rice for many years and despite the low paddy price this year, our organic produce can be sold at Bt14 per kilogram compared to jasmine paddy from chemical farms, which can be sold only Bt5 per kilogram,” Ronwarit said.
“The Agricultural Extension Department should be at the |forefront to promote organic rice farming.”
For a short-term solution, he said government agencies that need rice to feed the Army, prisons and public hospitals should buy rice directly from farmers at higher prices.

“We do not monitor or block user content. User content is also encrypted, and cannot be viewed by LINE,” the statement sent directly to dpa said.
On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong told reporters the Thai government had discussed the matter with LINE’s executives based in Thailand, saying the company had agreed to set up a special team to monitor users’ content.
However, the company told dpa Monday the Thai authorities need to go through diplomatic channels, such as the Thai embassy in Japan or the Japanese embassy in Thailand, and proceed according to international law.
“We ask the authorities seeking to obtain user data to make official requests through diplomatic channels and have so advised the Thai authorities,” LINE added.
LINE is a social network application launched in Japan in 2011. It is popular in many Asian countries including Thailand, with up to 700 million users.
Earlier this month, Thai government officials sought cooperation with Internet giant Google in removing content likely breaching lese-majesty law on its subsidiary platform YouTube. Several YouTube videos have been taken down since then.
The government has shut down more than 30 websites per day as the nation mourns late His Majesty the King who died on October 13.

“I WAS VERY STUNNED WHEN I FIRST LISTENED TO THE IDEA… HIS MAJESTY HAD THOUGHT OF SEVERAL OTHER THINGS [THAN WE HAD] – THE COMMUNITIES’ SOCIOCULTURAL NATURE, THE ENVIRONMENT, FARMERS’ HEALTH, THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SO ON.”

THE EARS of the Lueang Thong Bai rice have started to bend down toward the ground, one by one, in Wiwat Salayakamthon’s learning centre for organic farming. This type of rice is a native variety, so Wiwat and his young followers need no chemicals to help the Lueang Thong Bai crop stand against diseases. Pesticides are not needed; the soil, water and air around the centre are always free from contamination. Further away, one whitish egret flutters before landing on a swampy rice field, in search of food. Small fish swim in the water, while crabs crawl rapidly over the mud before disappearing from sight.

Here in this nearly 10- rai ( 1.6 hectare) plot of land, Wiwat is reminded of the solid proof once again that the caring and sharing way of life has taken a deep root in this land and keeps blossoming – just like the philosophy behind it that he has embraced and planted into the soil of this educational farm he founded over 30 years ago.

“We grow rice on this plot of land, which has long fed us and our friends who come to visit us. And you can see that other living creatures can also live here too,” said Wiwat in a soft but firm voice of a senior man in his 60s, pointing to the egret feeding in the field in the last golden sunlight.

For more than 30 years, Wiwat has followed the sufficiency economy philosophy introduced by His Majesty the King, whose passing has left Thais in deep sorrow for over two weeks. However, his legacy remains fresh and vivid in people’s minds, including Wiwat’s.

Young and self-confident, with a sophisticated education from various Western schools, Wiwat was a development project planner in the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board serving His Majesty. He had been eager to help boost the quality of life for his fellow Thais. Wiwat followed His Majesty the King to several remote areas. He took notes for him while the King spoke with state officials, then processed them, and came up with development plans based on the conversations and His Majesty’s recommendations before tabling them for the King to review and approve before implementation.

At that time, the term “sufficiency economy” had not been used. As far as Wiwat can remember, a similar idea from His Majesty was given to farmers around 1974, when he suggested that they lead a self-reliant life because they had trouble with cash crops. It was in the King’s six development study centres, set up in all regions in the early 1980s, that the idea was nurtured, as His Majesty wanted to promote a more sustainable way of life.

Wiwat became more familiar with the idea at the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre in Phetchaburi province, where he was given a chance to propose His Majesty’s key development plans to improve people’s quality of life.

“In the western region at that time cash crops like pineapples were extremely destructive,” Wiwat recalled with a still vivid memory. “When their produce flooded the market such crops not only plunged farmers into debt, it also destroyed forests, which are fundamental to the health of the farmers’ life-sustaining environment.”

Given his training in Western schools of thought, Wiwat and his colleagues did not hesitate to apply this thinking to their work. They analysed the farmers’ constraints and opportunities based on knowledge of science and economics – geography and market opportunity – before coming up with a proposal to grow pineapples again. “It’s the best crop that fitted the soil condition there,” said Wiwat. This was despite the fact that he and his colleagues realised there would be further challenges to tackle based on their choice.

But, contrary to his team’s analysis, the King started with the challenge of how to help the farmers live in a sustainable way and in a healthy environment. So, he started with something fundamental and essential to people’s livelihoods – rice. His first question was how to help the embattled farmers grow rice and have rice to eat in their communities. With enough rice, farmers would not need to travel far to sell crops. They would no longer poison their land, their health, or environment. More importantly, they would not have to rely on external items – they would become self-reliant.

“I was very stunned when I first listened to the idea. Oh, it was like I was knocked down on the canvas during a fight while defending my proposal,” Wiwat recalled, his voice raised to a high pitch. “While we only thought of something very scientific and economic – the good produce of pineapples and money, and did not care whether the farmers would get sick from excessive use of chemicals, His Majesty had thought of several other things – the communities’ socio-cultural nature, the environment, the farmers’ health, their quality of life, and so on.

“It was people that meant the most to him, and this turned my world upside down. I just realised that this was my grandparents’ way of life that I had forgotten. So, I was awoken to the fact, and started to think all over again. My Western ideas were useless, as the philosophy behind them was wrong in the first place. His Majesty called it the ‘greedy-eyed economy’ ( setakit da too). ”

Wiwat and his colleagues were instructed to detach themselves from their books and start to learn from the ground up. This, Wiwat said, was very scientific as it was actually a scientific methodology of formulating a new theory. From action to action in these development study centres, the “sufficiency economy philosophy” was nurtured through His Majesty the King’s experiments and teachings to these young experts. It was not until 1997 when the country faced an economic crisis that the philosophy was publicly introduced to Thai society for the first time.

“I call it a grand theory,” said Wiwat, who is a member of the National Reform Steering Assembly’s panel on education. “With this theory, it can be adapted to fit the circumstances of various sectors in society, not just farm sector.

“This is made possible because it primarily originated from His Majesty’s holistic view in the first place. His Majesty travelled the world extensively, seeing the wide world since he was young and having such a holistic view developed inside him. When he was back in the country, he managed to adapt such a view to suit local conditions when formulating new development theories. It’s the visionary view of ‘ think global, act local’.”

Wiwat adopted the philosophy shortly after he learned about it at Huai Sai. He experimented with the idea on his family’s plot in Chachoengsao province before expanding it to the Mab-Ueang AgriNature Centre in Chon Buri province. Armed with nearly 50-rai plot of land and following the theory, Wiwat divided the land up into a rice field, gardens, ponds, forests, and shops for the sale of the produce. This has set an example for other organic farmers and become the country’s prime organic-farming learning centre with nearly 50 organisations based on sustainable farming in the network.

Under the philosophy, Wiwat still sticks to the three prime principles – moderation, rationality, and selfimmunity. But what he emphasises most is the two critical conditions for successful implementation of the philosophy: knowledge and morality.

“These two conditions are the most critical elements of the philosophy, but people tend to concentrate only on the first three elements,” said Wiwat. “It holds true especially that concerning morality. You may have heard the phase ‘our loss is our gain’. It’s actually at the heart of the philosophy, as it’s the first and foremost of a King’s virtues, or merit making.”

As an NRSA member, Wiwat said the state has realised the philosophy’s importance, recognising that it is the key path to a sustainable economy and society. It has adopted the philosophy into policies and the reform plans that the NRSA has helped formulate. However, Wiwat said getting the public to implement the philosophy was still a problem. He estimates that it has been adopted by less than 10 per cent of Thais, but many organic farmers. The problem, he said, was still with the implementation.

“His Majesty the King said to pursue life with the sufficiency economy philosophy, you have to be serious with it, not doing it just for fun, or it would be a waste of time otherwise,” said Wiwat. “[Probably] people just don’t quite understand the philosophy well. They may not believe in it, or have faith in it.

“Most importantly, the philosophy goes against what’s lying deep in people’s hearts, which is our own greed, and that’s probably also the reason why we still don’t embrace it.”

Award from the UN

His Majesty the King’s sufficiency economy philosophy has been recognised internationally, with the United Nation bestowing him with the UN’s first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. Former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who presented the award to His Majesty, hailed the monarch’s tireless 60-year-long efforts to help the poorest and most vulnerable people in his Kingdom as an example to the world.

In a press release dated May 26, 2006, he said:

“Your Majesty has made an extraordinary contribution to human development. As the world’s ‘Development King,’ Your Majesty has reached out to the poorest and the most vulnerable people of Thailand – regardless of their status, ethnicity or religion – listened to their problems, and empowered them to take their lives in their own hands.”

The accolade was awarded by the UN Development Programme, and Annan cited the King’s countless rural development projects that have benefited millions of people across Thailand, promoting smallscale agriculture, appropriate farming technologies, sustainable use of water, conservation, and flood and drought mitigation.

“As a visionary thinker, Your Majesty has played an invaluable role in shaping the global development dialogue. Your Majesty’s ‘Sufficiency Economy’ philosophy, emphasising moderation, responsible consumption, and resilience to external shocks – is of great relevance worldwide during these times of rapid globalisation,” the UN chief said.

Click: No better way to show our love than by NURTURING His Majesty’s philosophy 

The politicians denied the allegations.

At yesterday’s NLA meeting, Pheu Thai’s former Sakon Nakhon MP Narisorn Thongthiras and the party’s former Nonthaburi MP Udomdej Ratanasatien countered the accusations by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

NACC representative Supa Piyachitti testified before the NLA that a video clip allegedly showing Narisorn using a number of identification cards of House of Representatives members to vote during a House meeting was authentic.

And after speaking with parliamentary officials, the NACC found that Narisorn did not hold a second ID card, she said.

Supa said the NACC was attempting to find the identities of the MPs whom Narisorn allegedly voted for so they could be brought to justice.
She alleged that Narisorn |had abused his authority.

She said the NACC would |forward the case to the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders for further action.
The punishment for the alleged offence was from one to 10 years in jail, Supa said.

Narisorn admitted that it was him in the footage of the House vote and that he had held the ID cards of colleagues Yuttapong Charassathien and Komdech Chaiyasiwamongkol. But he denied he had voted on their behalf.

The former Pheu Thai MP said that he had some mental problem that caused repetition of action. He said he had a tendency to insert the card into a slot several times before voting because he was forgetful.

Narisorn said that he had undergone surgery for his chronic valvular heart disease in 2011. It had left him with restless hands, he said.

The politician insisted that he respected his then position as a member of the House of Representatives and could not vote on behalf of his colleagues.

He claimed the aforementioned footage had been doctored as a move against him and he would lodge a petition with the NLA to check its authenticity.

Regarding Udomdej’s case, Supa pointed to the approved constitutional amendment regarding the origins of the Senate.

She alleged that the constitution had been tampered with, resulting in three changes that could allow the then Senate to be able to run for the next term’s office when previously the constitution required a two-year pause before retaking the Senate seats.

Udomdej countered that he was not favouring the Senate as alleged. He said the change to the constitution would give the people more options. Allowing the senators to run in an election without a pause did not mean the people would vote for them, he added.

The former MP also said that point was widely known through the media. Former MPs had raised |concerns about the change but they resolved that it was viable because the House president had not yet put the amendment into the meeting agenda.

Udomdej insisted there was only one version of the constitution and no fake copies as alleged.

NLA Vice President Surachai Liengboonlertchai said yesterday that the two accused politicians would make their closing statements for their case next Thursday and the NLA would vote on whether to impeach them on Friday.

Phnom Penh said it had received a request from Thailand to have three Thai fugitives facing lese majeste charges extradited.
“Now the competent authorities are processing this request, so it is not the right time to issue detailed information,” Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry was quoted by Phnom Penh Post as saying yesterday.
The Cambodian official declined to say if his country would allow the extradition but highlighted the extradition treaty signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2001. “The two countries have an extradition treaty, and Cambodian authorities are considering the request,” he said.
Legal experts said enforcement of the extradition treaty is complicated as it exempts political crimes and would not be allowed unless the laws of both countries recognise it as a crime.
A Cambodian legal expert said that insulting a king is not a crime under Cambodia’s penal code. “We can’t extradite any accused unless both sides have an act saying it is a crime, according to the Criminal Code,” the expert, Sam Ouen, said. “If it is not a crime in Cambodia, we cannot send those people [to Thailand].”
Cambodia had rejected a previous Thai request, in 2009, for the extradition of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as the accusation against the ex-premier was considered political in nature.
The Thai government has launched a campaign to track down lese majeste fugitives. It recently sent formal requests to seven countries, seeking the extradition of 19 fugitives. Violators face a jail term of up to 15 years.
The government has recently been concerned about increased defamation of the monarchy since the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13. There have been more than 20 cases of alleged lese majeste since then. Most the fugitives have been living in exile for many years.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongwusan yesterday insisted that the Thai government was in contact with foreign authorities to capture the lese majeste offenders residing overseas.
Thai attempts have been going on despite a lack of agreements with foreign countries on the handing over of such fugitives, Prawit admitted.
This could be due to lack of extradition agreements between Thailand and destination countries such as New Zealand where alleged lese majeste violator, Aekkaphob Luara aka Tang Archiva, has lived since 2014 as a refugee.
The military, police and intelligence have also been constantly active to watch out for any acts deemed as insulting to the monarchy, he added.
Meanwhile, executives of the company that operates the Line chat application have agreed to cooperate with the government over messages deemed insulting to the monarchy, Deputy PM Prajin Juntong said yesterday. Prajin said he had discussions with executives of Line Thailand about measures to deal with Line users posting messages deemed insulting to the monarchy and threatening to national security.
Line also promised to set up a special working group that would include its executives in Japan to consider any special requests from the government, according to Prajin.
He said Thai authorities would also discuss with representatives from the popular social media service Facebook.

The amendment of the preamble, however, would be postponed until after the royal title proclamation.
Wissanu said that though the Constitutional Court had decided that an amendment was viable, the government could not possibly fill out the ellipsis because the exact time of the endorsement, as well as the official royal name of King Rama X, were still unknown.
His clarification came in response to the confusion over whether the preamble of the constitution should be amended following the recent passing of His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Prior to the death of King Rama IX, the constitution draft’s preamble referred to the late King as the authority to endorse the charter. Therefore, an amendment should be made to replace the reference with the new King’s name.
Wissanu explained that the name choice of the King could differ. When the King Rama VIII accessed the throne, he used the same name Ananda Mahidol to follow the royal title ‘His Majesty the King’. Meanwhile, the King Rama VII took a slight different name from when he was the crown prince.
The deputy PM said that as the government did not know yet the official name of the King Rama X, it must seek the royal endorsement without an amendment or it would not be able to meet the deadline set by the interim charter.
Meanwhile, the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) is ready to abide by the Constitutional Court’s order that it amend the new charter’s preamble in accordance with the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the commission’s chairman said yesterday.
The task could be completed within a day after the CDC receives an official order from the government, Meechai Ruchupan said yesterday.
The chief drafter said the CDC would amend the sections that were inconsistent after the passing of the late King. His Majesty’s name will be replaced with a blank space for the Secretariat of the Cabinet to fill in.
The passages that require amendments include the title of the new King and the title of the authority that will sign the endorsement, he said.
“This approach to amending the charter corresponds with the Constitutional Court’s decision and every legal amendment follows that,” Meechai said.
“It can be seen that ellipses are used in several spots such as the royal emblem, date and year. These can be left to be filled out later, because the CDC cannot wait for the settlement as we are subject to a timeframe set by the interim charter,” he said.
The development came after the Constitutional Court voted unanimously on Wednesday that the charter’s preamble could be amended following the King’s passing.
The court also specified that the CDC should write the amendment, because the commission had written the charter.
In the meantime, the CDC is working on four organic laws necessary for the next general election next year.
Chartchai Na Chiangmai, chairman of CDC’s committee on public relations and opinion polls, said that the National Office of Statistics would, from next Tuesday to Sunday, survey public opinion of those laws.
The questions to be asked in the survey include those about the mechanism to make political parties truly belong to the people, matters concerning the Senate, and the roles of the Election Commission, he said.
The statistics office would submit the poll results to the CDC before November 15 to support the writing of the organic laws, Chartchai said.
The CDC had also sent invitation letters to political parties to attend a seminar where the CDC will gather their opinion for writing the laws, he added.