7 February 2007
RE: Requesting for fairness in the prosecution of two lese majeste cases
Enclosed: Three letters written to the prime minister and two reply letters from the Prime Minister’s Office
Dear Acting National Police Chief Seripisuth Temiyavej,
First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your new important position. To my knowledge, you are known for your fairness and compassion for ordinary citizens. As such, you are different from the national police chief under the Thaksin government. Also, the prime minister seems to be of this view. As reported in Thai Post newspaper on 19 January, “The Prime Minister criticized the inefficiency of the police, their inability to adapt to social changes. The whole system needs to be revamped. All the police care about is catching thugs at the expense of other considerations and with disregard for the consequences. The police are used to the patron-client system and are prone to abuse the freedom of others. The Prime Minister is determined to set in motion police reforms in an open and honest manner to regain the trust of the people.”
It is clear that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra persecuted me for my oppositional views by filing the two charges of lese majeste against me. The letters I sent to the prime minister were forwarded by the Prime Minister’s Office to the Royal Thai Police Office to be used in the deliberation of the prosecution against me. I have called for the ending of the prosecution. (Please refer to the enclosed materials.) But the Royal Thai Police Office seems indifferent.
Therefore, I write to call upon your impartiality to bring about an end to the prosecution so as not to disturb H.M. the King. The King made it clear that any charge of lese majeste filed would not only hurt him but also the monarchy.
Ending the prosecution will facilitate national reconciliation and solidarity. The second lese majeste case lodged against me has to do with an English material that still has not been translated into Thai. Its translation into Thai will lead to widespread ramifications, and the translator may even face the charge of lese majeste as in the case faced by former police chief Pol. Gen. Sawat Amornwiwat.
If my case is brought to the attention of the international community, the credibility and image of the kingdom will be undermined. The king had raised this point before in one of the royal speeches. I am known nationally as well as internationally as a royalist who wants to protect the monarchy within the framework of democracy.
Previous charges of lese majeste lodged against me were also done with malice, for instance at the time when General Arthit Kamlang-ake was jockeying for power vis-à-vis Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda. In this particular case, my lese majeste case was already sent to the military court, but the prime minister intervened to stop it. And when General Suchinda Kraprayoon illegally toppled the Chatichai Choonhavan government, my trial lasted four years. I was eventually acquitted of the charge of lese majeste. The court affirmed my innocence, declaring thus:
After considering the statements of the witnesses for both the defense and prosecution, and the complete transcripts of the defendant’s speech, most fair-minded people would question why the defendant had been charged, what was the defendant’s intention, and toward whom was his public talk directed. We cannot only consider literally what he said. We can see clearly that the intention of the talk was to make the students and the people aware so they would be awakened to resist the unjust authority of the NPKC in seizing power from an elected government and its attempts to prolong its hold on power. The talk also tried to clarify the basic principles of democracy, liberty, and equality of the people. No group should use the monarch to serve their own political purposes, and the military groups which have seized power have violated these basic principles throughout the history of Thai democracy. The defendant also denounced the validity of the five points the NPKC used as an excuse for staging the coup. He also condemned individuals and groups that were submissive to the NPKC as having a part in destroying Thailand ’s reputation within the international community.
When considering the first and the second phrases that the prosecution charged as lese majeste within the context of the complete talk, it is clear that the defendant sought to teach the students to be conscious of the essence of democracy which has the King as head of state. He warned the students not to live a luxurious, consumer-oriented lifestyle, not to worship being rich, not to admire people in power, and to be concerned about justice and righteousness.
I am confident that you fully understand the court’s decision cited above and that you have the moral courage to order the ending of the prosecution when it is still within the authority of the national police chief to do so.
Yours respectfully,
Sulak Sivaraksa
(The alleged offender)
RE: Requesting for fairness in the prosecution of two lese majeste cases
Enclosed: Three letters written to the prime minister and two reply letters from the Prime Minister’s Office
Dear Acting National Police Chief Seripisuth Temiyavej,
First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your new important position. To my knowledge, you are known for your fairness and compassion for ordinary citizens. As such, you are different from the national police chief under the Thaksin government. Also, the prime minister seems to be of this view. As reported in Thai Post newspaper on 19 January, “The Prime Minister criticized the inefficiency of the police, their inability to adapt to social changes. The whole system needs to be revamped. All the police care about is catching thugs at the expense of other considerations and with disregard for the consequences. The police are used to the patron-client system and are prone to abuse the freedom of others. The Prime Minister is determined to set in motion police reforms in an open and honest manner to regain the trust of the people.”
It is clear that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra persecuted me for my oppositional views by filing the two charges of lese majeste against me. The letters I sent to the prime minister were forwarded by the Prime Minister’s Office to the Royal Thai Police Office to be used in the deliberation of the prosecution against me. I have called for the ending of the prosecution. (Please refer to the enclosed materials.) But the Royal Thai Police Office seems indifferent.
Therefore, I write to call upon your impartiality to bring about an end to the prosecution so as not to disturb H.M. the King. The King made it clear that any charge of lese majeste filed would not only hurt him but also the monarchy.
Ending the prosecution will facilitate national reconciliation and solidarity. The second lese majeste case lodged against me has to do with an English material that still has not been translated into Thai. Its translation into Thai will lead to widespread ramifications, and the translator may even face the charge of lese majeste as in the case faced by former police chief Pol. Gen. Sawat Amornwiwat.
If my case is brought to the attention of the international community, the credibility and image of the kingdom will be undermined. The king had raised this point before in one of the royal speeches. I am known nationally as well as internationally as a royalist who wants to protect the monarchy within the framework of democracy.
Previous charges of lese majeste lodged against me were also done with malice, for instance at the time when General Arthit Kamlang-ake was jockeying for power vis-à-vis Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda. In this particular case, my lese majeste case was already sent to the military court, but the prime minister intervened to stop it. And when General Suchinda Kraprayoon illegally toppled the Chatichai Choonhavan government, my trial lasted four years. I was eventually acquitted of the charge of lese majeste. The court affirmed my innocence, declaring thus:
After considering the statements of the witnesses for both the defense and prosecution, and the complete transcripts of the defendant’s speech, most fair-minded people would question why the defendant had been charged, what was the defendant’s intention, and toward whom was his public talk directed. We cannot only consider literally what he said. We can see clearly that the intention of the talk was to make the students and the people aware so they would be awakened to resist the unjust authority of the NPKC in seizing power from an elected government and its attempts to prolong its hold on power. The talk also tried to clarify the basic principles of democracy, liberty, and equality of the people. No group should use the monarch to serve their own political purposes, and the military groups which have seized power have violated these basic principles throughout the history of Thai democracy. The defendant also denounced the validity of the five points the NPKC used as an excuse for staging the coup. He also condemned individuals and groups that were submissive to the NPKC as having a part in destroying Thailand ’s reputation within the international community.
When considering the first and the second phrases that the prosecution charged as lese majeste within the context of the complete talk, it is clear that the defendant sought to teach the students to be conscious of the essence of democracy which has the King as head of state. He warned the students not to live a luxurious, consumer-oriented lifestyle, not to worship being rich, not to admire people in power, and to be concerned about justice and righteousness.
I am confident that you fully understand the court’s decision cited above and that you have the moral courage to order the ending of the prosecution when it is still within the authority of the national police chief to do so.
Yours respectfully,
Sulak Sivaraksa
(The alleged offender)
Blog master said....I think that the coup would be use this case for propaganda absolutely. For show that they have a moral and kindness. They will forgive him by claim that's good time for the unity , for harmony, what ever. But not for Thaksin.
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