20 years' jail for Thai anti-royal texts
A Thai citizen was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for sending text messages deemed insulting to the monarchy under the kingdom's strict lese-majesty laws.
Ampon Tangnoppakul was found guilty of sending messages to the private secretary of then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, France-Presse reports.
The contents of the messages are kept in secret. The relations between the secretary of the prime minister and 61-year-old Tangnoppakul are also unknown.
Ampon Tangnoppakul was arrested in August 2010 and pleaded not guilty to the charges during his trial. His lawyer Anon Nampa said that he had 30 days to lodge an appeal.
The royal family is a very sensitive subject in Thailand. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 83, is the world's longest-reigning monarch and revered as a demi-god by many Thais.
Under Thai law, anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.
