BANGKOK — The parents of a former Thai Princess have been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for insulting the monarchy.

Apiruj and Wantanee Suwadee, the parents of the Thai Crown Prince's third wife, were accused last month of using their royal connections to have a woman in Ratchaburi province imprisoned for 18 months on a bogus fraud conviction. 

In an unusually swift conclusion of legal procedures, the Criminal Court found Apiruj, 72, and Wantanee, 66, guilty of making a false report to police and defaming the monarchy,  a crime punishable by up to 15 years in jail under Thailand's lese majeste law.

The court sentenced the pair to five years in prison, but ultimately halved the jail term because both defendants confessed. 

The judge also noted in the court briefing that the two defendants "voluntarily" declined to be represented by a lawyer during the trial.

The pair was arrested on 27 February and detained in Bangkok prisons while they awaited their trial. Apiruj and Wantanee were escorted back to prison immediately after the judge finished reading the verdict today. 

The two defendants initially denied their charges when they first reported to the police, but later confessed to the crime. 

"We have confessed everything," Wantanee said to reporters after a second meeting with the police on 27 February 2015. "What I have done, what I have said, I did not mean it. That is all. I have confessed to every allegation. I don't want to say much. I only would like to say that I still love and revere the monarchy."

Apiruj and Wantanee are the latest members of former Princess Srirasmi's family to be convicted of lese majeste this year. In one of the biggest scandals to rock the palace in recent years, Srirasmi resigned from the Royal Family in December 2014 after her brother, sister, and uncle were arrested on charges of lese majeste and running a massive crime ring. 

Srirasmi's uncle, former police commander Pongpat Chayapan, and sister, Sudathip Muangnuan, were found guilty of lese majeste on 30 January and 2 February, respectively. 

After her royal resignation, Srirasmi moved out of the Crown Prince's palace in Bangkok to live with Apiruj and Wantanee in Ratchaburi province and has not been seen in public since 13 December, when she applied for a new national ID card as a commoner. She later issued a statement requesting privacy from the crowd of reporters who were camping in front of her residence. 

It is unclear whether Srirasmi and the Crown Prince are formally divorced. The couple married in 2001 and have one 9-year-old son. 

BANGKOK — Thai police say they believe the grenade attack on a court house in Bangkok on Saturday was connected to the twin bombings at a luxury shopping mall last month.

Thai police commander Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumpanmuang said today that police believe both incidents were politically-motivated and perpetrated by "people who have opposing views or political disputes, with the aim of creating a situation of chaos, disorder, and violence." 

Police inspect the parking lot of the Criminal Court in Bangkok where a grenade was launched on 7 March 2015.

The hand grenade thrown at the Criminal Court in Bangkok on Saturday night, which did not cause any injuries, came a month after two pipe bombs exploded near the BTS skytrain by Siam Paragon shopping mall on 2 February, slightly injuring one person.

Four suspects are currently in military custody in connection with the grenade attack. The military says there is evidence linking them to the Redshirt movement, which supported the government toppled by the military last May.

No one has been arrested in connection with the Siam Paragon bombing, but Pol.Gen. Somyot said today that police haveidentified suspects behind incident and are planning an arrest.

"I cannot say when we will arrest them and I cannot tell the media where the suspects are, because this concerns a police investigation, which cannot be revealed to the press," Pol.Gen. Somyot said. 

He also said that the explosives in the Siam Paragon incident were similar to pipe bombs police believe were used by Redshirt-allied militants to attack anti-government protest sites in 2014.  

"People who share similar ideas tend to have similar methods and practice in the same direction," said Pol.Gen. Somyot. "There is evidence that these individuals were connected to each other."

Police were initially reluctant to say whether the Siam Paragon bombing was politically-driven, but Pol.Gen. Somyot said today that all other motives have been ruled out. 

"It is what the police are suspecting," Pol.Gen. Somyot said when asked if police have concluded that the attack was politically-motivated. "Because there are no other motives. I don't know what kind of interest drove them to plant a bomb or cause violence and confusion at this time. But I do not think there is another motive other than what the police are suspecting."

Police inspect the site of two bomb blasts near a luxury shopping mall entrance in Bangkok, Thailand, 02 February 2015.​

He also downplayed reports that one of the alleged grenade throwers arrested at the Criminal Court said his group planned to stage 100 attacks around the capital city on 15 March. 

"I don't know how many targets they intend to bomb," Pol.Gen. Somyot said. "Those are just words from the suspect. We do not know if they are true. However, we have never let our guard down. Therefore, we are giving importance to every major venue that we suspect could be a target of terrorists." 

The police chief added, "If the bombs do happen, you have to ask the bombers, what do they want from it? Are they happy to plant bombs at a time when the country is moving forward under the government's road map?" 

Thailand’s military junta, which seized power in a coup d’etat on 22 May 2014, has used martial law to suppress dissent and ban political activities of any kind while it oversees a national reform effort. Junta leaders say an election will be held in early 2016, provided that a new constitution has been finalized and the political climate is deemed stable.

BANGKOK – Thailand's military government will expand its public relations reach this month by printing 10,000 free gazettes explaining what it has accomplished since seizing power in a coup nearly ten months ago.

The 12-page booklets will be published by the end of March and distributed at skytrain and subway stations, bus stops, and pedestrian bridges in Bangkok, officials at the Office of Prime Minister said today. 

There is also a plan to distribute the gazettes in provinces outside of Bangkok, officials said. 

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha holding a draft of the gazette at the Government House on 10 March 2015.

Junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha introduced a draft of the gazette, which is called "For the People," at a press conference today. 

"The production of this document isn't meant to show off what I have done," Gen. Prayuth said. "I merely want people to know what the government has done, especially the new things that we have done, so that they will see more than my answers to questions from the press. Sometimes the general public may not understand me." 

He added that the first edition is not yet complete, as each of the 19 Ministries needs to submit a story about their achievements. 

Gen. Prayuth frequently criticizes the media for not "cooperating" with his government, and has sought to deflect criticism about the coup and his continued use of martial law by focusing on the reforms and policy projects his government has overseen. 

"The other day, some reporter asked me what the government has done so far," Gen. Prayuth said on 6 March. "I almost punched that reporter in the face. I have done so many things, can they not see it? I will keep talking about what I have done. I am willing to be tired and hurt my throat." 

The upcoming gazette marks the Thai junta's first foray into print media. Since the coup, the military government's PR efforts have focused on radio and TV programs, such as Gen. Prayuth’s weekly television show called “Returning Happiness to the Thai People,” in which he speaks at length about the junta’s various campaigns and accomplishments. Updates on the junta’s reform efforts are also broadcast daily in a 15-minute television and radio program on all state channels. 

Gen. Prayuth said today that he closely follows what is reported in Thai newspapers.

"I collect all the news clippings, and then I consult with my Cabinet members about the issues, of which there are many," Gen. Prayuth said. "I do everything. And from now on, when I speak about different points, I will note down the details, so that I won't forget about them. I may speak a bit slowly from now. But it's not good to talk fast. If I talk fast, I may become a victim [sic]. From now on I will speak well and have patience."