Thailand's police investigate BBC
The police in Thailand are investigating the BBC over an article about the new King Rama X. The British broadcaster is accused of lèse majesté, as the military government confirmed on Wednesday.
The objectionable article in Thai was published on the BBC website last week by the London editorial team after Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was appointed king. The portrait also discussed the 64-year-old's private life, including his three divorces.
Vajiralongkorn has lived abroad for a long time and has also spent a lot of time in Germany in recent years, where he bought a property on Lake Starnberg this year. Although his extravagant lifestyle was well known in Thailand, it was almost never mentioned in the Thai media.
The BBC article, which can no longer be accessed in Thailand, spread rapidly via social networks. When Thai ultra-monarchists became aware of it, they accused the BBC of lèse majesté. On Tuesday, police officers came to the BBC office in the capital Bangkok, but it was closed.
The head of the police station responsible, Pornchai Chalordej, did not want to comment on the case due to the ongoing investigations. However, the ruling military junta demonstratively backed the police on Wednesday. Since the BBC operates an office in Bangkok and employs Thai reporters, it must be punished for violating Thai laws, said junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha. Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwon stressed that the police must investigate any suspicion of a crime "without exception". (SDA)
