| This may mean I will never be welcome in Bangkok, but I rather think Thailand's priorities are a little misguided. |
A Swiss man pleaded guilty on Monday to criminal charges of insulting Thailand's king by vandalising pictures of him, a serious offence in a nation where the monarch is revered. Oliver Jufer, 57, was arrested on December 5 for defacing several of the king's ubiquitous portraits with spray paint during a drunken spree through the northern city of Chiang Mai, about 700 km north of Bangkok. He was charged with lese majeste and destruction of public property. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison, according to court officials. "He pleaded guilty, and the court set a date for the verdict on March 29," one court official said. |