A Thai man has received a sentence of 20 years in prison for committing computer crime and lese majeste – insulting the monarch – which is a big no-no in Thailand. In fact, insulting a Thai king or queen is dealt with more severely in that country than just about anywhere in the world.

Amphon Tangnoppaku was arrested and charged in 2010 for repeatedly sending text messages which were deemed to be offensive to the country’s queen. In case you’re wondering, they were not actually sent to the queen. The recipient was personal secretary of then-Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. But Thai officials are confident their queen would not have liked them.

Stats on the crime show that incidents of lese majeste in Thailand increase during times of instability in the country. The application of the Thai law has been slammed by Amnesty International, which has accused the government of suppressing freedom of expression.

[Source: TimesLive]