BANGKOK — The sister-in-law of Thailand’s Crown Prince was found guilty of insulting the monarchy in court today.

Sudathip Muangnuan was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for citing her status as the sister of former princess Srirasmi, the wife of Thailand’s Crown Prince, to sell overpriced food products to the royal palace for the past 12 years.

Sudathip Muangnuan arriving at the Criminal Court in Bangkok on 2 Feb 2015.

According to the complaint filed to the Criminal Court by the Royal Household Bureau, Sudathip won the rights to supply the palace with food products like chili paste by using her connections to the Royal Family to pressure other competitors to drop out of contract bid.

Today judges found Sudathip guilty of violating Thailand’s lese majeste law, which criminalizes insulting the monarchy with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. 

Her sentence was reduced from five to two and a half years in prison because she confessed.

"The remarks of the defendant were slanderous, laying false claims to and insulting the monarchy," the court briefing reads. "She violated, made false accusations toward, and caused damages to the Royal Majesty."

Sudathip was arrested on 10 December 2014 and identified by police as a conspirator in a massive corruption and extortion ring run by high-ranking police officers in the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB). At least 26 people have been arrested in connection with the alleged crime syndicate. 

Many of the suspects are related to former princess Srirasmi, such as Sudathip, Pol.Col. Nattapong Akharaphongpreecha, and Pol.Lt.Gen. Kowit Wongrungroj, the sister, brother, and uncle of Srirasmi, respectively. 

Last Friday, Pol.Lt.Gen. Kowit Wongrungroj and his commanding officer, former CIB chief Pol.Lt.Gen. Pongpat Chayapan, were sentenced to six years in prison for defaming the Crown Prince and running an illegal casino.

In response to the scandal, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn stripped Srirasmi's entire family of the royally-bestowed surname Akharaphongpreecha, forcing them to revert back to their "commoner" surname, Suwadee, on 30 November. 

Less than two weeks later, on 12 December, the Royal Household Bureau announced that Srirasmi had resigned from her status as a member of the Thai Royal Family. She moved out of the Crown Prince's palace in Bangkok to live with her parents 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. 

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

Read more:
Police Expand Investigation Over 'Lese Majeste Foodstuff Conspiracy'
Ex-CIB Chief Gets 6 Years for Defaming Thai Crown Prince

BANGKOK — A prominent activist from the ultraconservative movement that campaigned against the former government has accused the United States of planning a terror attack in Thailand to provide a pretense for invasion.

Thanit Sriklindee, a 64-year-old folk musician turned “Yellowshirt” activist, wrote on his Facebook account on 31 January that the US is intentionally spreading anti-American sentiment in Thailand in order to incite violence that would justify a US invasion and"occupation" of Thailand.

"Please send this news to all Thais who love their country and land, so that they know about America's covert operation," wrote Thanit, a well-known flutist who joined the People's Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD) to protest against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra last year.

Thanit regularly appeared on PCAD rally stages and played music to cheer up the protesters, who camped out in Bangkok for six months before the military stepped in and toppled the government in a coup on 22 May 2014. 

His recent allegations came amid an ongoing diplomatic row between the Thai and US governments that erupted after a senior US official urged Thailand's military junta to lift martial law and cease all restrictions on civil rights.

Thai officials and supporters of the junta lashed back, accusing the US envoy of violating diplomatic protocol and interfering with Thailand's domestic issues.

They also vented anger at the diplomat, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel, for meeting with former Prime Minister Yingluck during his time in Bangkok. Russel, the highest-level US official to visit Thailand since the coup, did not meet with coup-leader and current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. 

Below is a full translation of Thanit's Facebook post:

"Please send this news to all Thais who love their country and land, so that they know about American covert operation. This is most urgent.

Right now, America is plotting to create anti-American sentiment among Thais by methods of social media, including the farce involving Yingluck and her minions meeting with American officials. Furthermore, they are also going around to meet Redshirt leaders in Bangkok and other provinces, even though they know that it will only escalate hatred toward America. It is abnormal, because America is supposed to be trying to seek more friends than enemies in this situation.

The reason is they want to build anti-American sentiment as much as possible and as soon as possible. Then, they will create a situation of the Thai people storming the US Embassy. Afterward, they will hire someone to throw grenades at the embassy, and they may even harm the diplomats to escalate the situation. They will use 3-4 international media agencies under their leash to exaggerate the news and make it look serious. 

Later, America will use it as an excuse to invade and occupy Thailand on the pretense of protecting American interests. There may be sacrifices and arson attacks on private businesses, such as KFC and McDonalds etc to make it look even more scary and believable. 

We must not be fooled into doing action that will further incite the hatred. We have to remain calm and things will go well. May Phra Siam Deva Thirat and all holy entities protect and defend Thai people from all dangers, and bring about peace in due time."

The post was "shared" hundreds of times on Facebook before it was later deleted. Thanit has since published a post calling for a ban on US products. 

Staff at the US Embassy in Bangkok say there were several small anti-US protests in front of the Embassy last week. 

Yesterday, the deputy chairman of Democrat Party, which opposed Yingluck's government and assisted the PCAD in its campaign, suggested that the US's "interference" in Thai politics may be the effort of international "lobbyists" seeking to smear Thailand's reputation. 

"I have met representatives of political parties from foreign countries many times. They all know that there is a movement that has hired lobbyists in Europe and the United States of America to portray distorted and wrong perspectives about Thailand," Kiat Sittheeamorn said yesterday.

He added, "However, after talking to the representatives, they understand the situation in Thailand well."

BANGKOK – Thailand’s military leader has ordered police to determine whether anti-government elements were behind the double bombing outside of a high-end shopping mall in Bangkok last night.

Junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said at a press conference today that it is still too early to say whether the attack was politically-motivated, but that police are investigating people who are "opposed to the operations of the government."

Damage caused by two IEDs in front of Siam Paragon on 1 Feb 2015.

"We have to look at people who have spoken about using violence [recently]. We have to investigate whether there is any connection," Gen. Prayuth said. "I have instructed police to investigate this matter also, the people who said something about violence or opposing the operations of the government."

He continued, "This kind of matter is not about politics. It's about breaking the laws. Even though there may be difference in political opinion, violence is unacceptable, because it violates the laws. Everyone has to understand that politics and breaking the laws are separate. Don't give credit to people who break the laws."

Two homemade explosives went off on the walkway that connectsSiam skytrain station and Siam Paragon shopping mall, one of the largest shopping complexes in Bangkok, at 8:10 pm last night. One person was slightly injured by the blast.

Police initially reported that the explosions were caused by a malfunctioning electric transformer, but later clarified that two IEDs placed behind the tranformer were responsible for the blasts. 

The incident has drawn heavy attention, as the double bombing took place in the heart of Bangkok's financial center and while the nation remains under martial law. 

Since seizing power on 22 May 2014, the ruling military junta has touted martial law as a necessary means to restore peace and order and end the series of grenade attacks and shootings that occured during the six months of anti-government protests that preceded the coup. 

Asked whether he believes the double bombing was intended to damage the credibility of the government, Gen. Prayuth retorted, "Everyone knows the answer to that question. Otherwise they would have done it in a jungle. Why the hell are you asking this?"

In response to a question about whether martial law needs to be extended because of the bombing, the general said, "I have already said that there are many laws we can use. It's a danger to people who break the laws."

Yesterday before the bombing, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, a member of the junta and Minister of Defense, suggested that Gen. Prayuth may repeal martial law and instead resort to Article 44 of the interim charter, which allows the junta to intervene in the administration of the country in matters related to "national security."

Instead of throwing a juvenile temper tantrum, the Thai military should comply with the United States government's calls for lifting martial law and returning to democratic rule immediately.

In a speech given to a crowd at Chulalongkorn University this week, Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, aptly observed that Thailand’s military government has imposed "significant restraints on freedom" since it seized power in a coup d’etat on 22 May 2014.

Russel, the highest-level US official to visit Thailand since the coup, went on to advocate for the repeal of martial law and all restrictions on civil liberties in Thailand.

"Ending martial law throughout the country and removing restrictions of speech and assembly – these would be important steps as part of a generally inclusive reform process that reflects the broad diversity of views within the country," Russel said. 

Russel's reasoned, diplomatic, and politely-delivered remark has caused an uproar among Thai junta leaders and their supporters, who have angrily accused the US diplomat of acting "inappropriately, " "violating diplomatic protocols" and "interfering in Thai politics." 

However, it is Thai officials who have acted inappropriately by publicly lambasting Russel one after another, and repeatedlymisrepresenting his speech (which largely focused on uncontroversial aspects of the two countries' historic alliance). Pro-coup Thais have also turned rabid with their anti-American sentiment, spamming the US Embassy’s Facebook page, announcing the return of the “Ugly American” in newspaper op-eds, and even supporting ISIS threats of beheading US President Barack Obama on social media. 

The junta and its supporters insist that the US government does not understand Thailand’s political situation. However, the US is hardly alone in its assessment of the deteriorating human rights climate in Thailand that has followed the 22 May coup.

This week, the independent watchdog Freedom House downgradedThailand from a "Partly Free" to "Not Free" country in its annual assessment of political rights and civil liberties around the globe. On the same day, Human Rights Watch report described the Thai junta as sending Thailand’s human rights situation "into free fall."

It is true that the US government's rhetoric of promoting democracy and liberty around world is often fraught with hypocrisy; for instance, the excess of military power over Thailand can be traced to US’s financial aid during the Cold War.

However, the Thai military cannot have it both ways. Junta chairman and PM Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha cannot proclaim his "democratic heart" and commitment to restoring democracy in Thailand, while also denouncing Russel's call for the restoration of civil liberties, a founding principle of any democratic society. 

The reaction to Russel’s sound counsel is disturbing in that it illustrates just how little the Thai junta – who is responsible for shaping Thailand’s next constitution and political system – understands the basic building blocks of democracy.

The Thai government should heed the US’s friendly advice, and it should also learn how to distinguish a mountain from a molehill. The embarrassing racket that has followed Russel’s remarks suggests that, at the very least, the junta would do well to develop some thicker skin.