Swiss man faces long jail term for insulting King

CHIANG MAI - A SWISS man faces up to 75 years in prison after pleading guilty yesterday to charges of insulting Thailand's King, a serious offence in a country where the monarch is revered.

Oliver Jufer, 57, was arrested on Dec 5 for defacing several of the King's ubiquitous portraits with spray paint during a drunken spree through the northern city of Chiang Mai, 700km north of Bangkok.

He was charged with five counts of lese majeste - the crime of offending the dignity of a sovereign - as well as lesser charges of destruction of public property.

If convicted, he faces up to 75 years in prison, according to police, 15 for each of the counts of lese majeste.

'He pleaded guilty, and the court set a date for the verdict on March 29,' one court official said.

Court officials and police provided few details of the three-hour hearing held behind closed doors, citing sensitivities surrounding the monarchy.

Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world's longest-reigning monarch, and one of the few who is still protected by tough lese majeste charges that prohibit any insult to the royal family.

Thai law allows anyone to file a lese majeste complaint with the police, which makes people reluctant to engage in any sort of public conversation about the King or his family.

Jufer's crime occurred at an especially sensitive period in Thailand, with the country swept up in royal fever since the King's 60th anniversary on the throne in June last year.

It also followed a military coup in September that was conducted with the King's apparent blessing.

Portraits of the monarch, who turns 80 in December, hang in every public building, and shrines to him dot the sidewalks in major cities.

Millions of Thais still wear yellow shirts to honour the King every Monday, the day of the week when he was born.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE