The DVD was a compilation of speeches made at the club by prominent political figures, including an address by former government minister Jakrapob Penkair, an ally of ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. -- PHOTO: AFP
BANGKOK - A 'LESE majeste' complaint has been filed against the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT), accusing the board of insulting the monarchy by selling a DVD of a contentious speech by a former government minister.
CONTROVERSIAL SPEECH
POLICE were expected to decide on July 17 whether to press charges against Jakrapob, who was the subject of a complaint after political opponents stirred up controversy over his speech.
FCCT Vice-President Jonathan Head, a British BBC correspondent, has received three lese-majeste complaints.
Lese-majeste is a serious offence in Thailand, where many people regard 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej as semi-divine. It is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Police said a formal complaint was lodged on Tuesday night by freelance translator Laksana Kornsil, who claimed the FCCT had sought to undermine the monarchy when it sold the DVD last year.
'We understand that the police have an obligation to conduct an inquiry. The FCCT will cooperate with such an inquiry,' FCCT President Marwaan Macan-Markar said in a statement. The club has operated in Thailand for more than 50 years.
The FCCT's 13-member board includes journalists from the BBC, Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal.
The DVD was a compilation of speeches made at the club by prominent political figures, which included an August 2007 address by former government minister Jakrapob Penkair, an ally of ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. -- REUTERS
