Not only secular and liberal but religious people are also persecuted and prosecuted in religious nationalist states. Sulak Sivaraksa, a famous Buddhist social activist and scholar, was charged with insulting royalty under Thailand's draconian lese majeste law that could have resulted in a decade-long imprisonment of the old man. Sivaraksa's crime was not saying something about the current king. In an academic conference in 2014, he questioned a duel fought on the backs of elephants 400 years ago. In the end, the charges were dropped.
Sulak Sivaraksa was charged in October under the draconian lese majeste law that protects the monarchy from libel and defamation. The Bangkok military court had agreed to hear views from historians and experts before it decided to drop the charges for lack of evidence.
Sulak, a veteran academic and proclaimed royalist, said he had petitioned Thailand's new king, Vajiralongkorn, for help in dropping the charges against him.
"I contacted many people for help but no one dared to. So I petitioned the king. If it weren't for His Majesty's grace, this case would not have been dropped," he said.
His case stems from a 2014 university lecture when he told the audience to "not fall prey to propaganda" and questioned whether King Naraesuan had really won the 1593 battle by defeating a Burmese prince in solo combat mounted on a war elephant. The story is one of Thailand's most celebrated historical feats and the date of the combat is marked each year with a military parade on Jan. 18.
Insulting the monarchy is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. The law in writing appears to only protect the king, queen, and heir apparent but in practice the rules are more widely interpreted.
Thailand's military government has been criticized for its frequent use of the law to silence critics since it seized power in May 2014. The law has been widely condemned including by rights groups and the U.N., which has called for it to be revoked. Some 100 cases of lese majeste have been prosecuted since the coup, according to the legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Sulak has often criticized the lese majeste law and has faced at least five previous charges.
"In a dictatorial regime if people want to express opinions, to have freedom of speech, you have to be punished," he said. "And this is not the first time I have been punished." (see Thailand drops royal insult charges against elderly historian)
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