Thai activist on trial for Facebook share of king profile

AP  |  Khon Kaen (Thailand) 

A in Thailand's northeast has begun the closed-door trial of an activist student arrested for sharing an article about his country's new king on

Jatupat "Pai Dao Din" Boonpattararaksa was arrested in December for sharing a profile about the Thai king that was posted on by the Thai-language service of the BBC.


His arrest was the first under the country's tough lese majeste since the new king took the throne last November.

Lese majeste, or insulting the monarchy, carries a penalty of three to 15 years imprisonment.

The BBC article included mentions of the king's personal life when he was crown prince, including details of three marriages that ended in divorce and other material Thai media can publish only at their own risk.

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