No Comment Means No Comment!

Just when we thought things were getting a little dull, we read the Thai news today and our eyes were opened. No more glib comments, no more ethnic jokes, no more stupid remarks and no discussion at all about “you know who”. The following was borrowed from an Internet news source:

“BANGKOK — Thailand’s strict laws making it a crime to insult the monarchy entered new territory on Monday when a factory worker was charged with disparaging the king’s dog. The worker, Thanakorn Siripaiboon, was charged with making a “sarcastic” Internet post related to the king’s pet. He also faces separate charges of sedition and insulting the king.

Mr. Thanakorn could face a total of 37 years in prison for his social media posts, highlighting what has become a feverish campaign to protect the monarchy and rebuff critics of the country’s military rulers. The precise insult toward the royal dog was not divulged by the military.

The boundaries of what has been considered lèse-majesté, as royal insults are known, had expanded drastically in recent years. Last year, a prominent scholar was accused of insulting a king who died 400 years ago.”

It is even a little intimidating for me to comment on the story. What if my email is being tracked by government cyber spies? If I make any sort of non-positive response to the above, am I as guilty as Mr. Thanakorn? Can I safely make any kind of analytical remark?

In the interests of my own health and safety, all I choose to say is, “I have nothing to say!”