Thai court jails 10 from 'anti-monarchy' network

Bangkok

Bangkok's military court Tuesday sentenced 10 people from an "anti-monarchy network" to up to five years in jail over audio recordings deemed to defame the royal family under Thailand's controversial lese majeste law.

The group, including four women, were charged between January and March with Section 112 of the Thai criminal code under which anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count. 

They were also prosecuted under the Computer Crimes Act, a charge which carries up to five years in jail and has increasingly been used in conjunction with lese majeste charges as the authorities step up patrols scanning for critical content online. 

Eight of so-called "Banpodj Network", a name derived from their Facebook page, were originally handed 10-year jail terms while two were sentenced to six years imprisonment. 

But the sentences were halved due to their confessions, said a judge at the military court.

The majority were "found guilty of insulting the monarchy and publishing false information by computer", said one of a panel of three judges, while the pair facing the slightly shorter sentence were found guilty of "supporting" them.

Two others accused denied the charges against them and will face a separate hearing.

Most of the group are aged between 35 and 65 and live in Bangkok, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights which is representing some of them.

In February Thai police arrested the alleged ringleader of the network after offering a widely publicised 200,000 baht ($6,100) reward for his capture. Hasadin Uraipraiwan, 64, was eventually tracked down to a hotel after going on the run for nearly two weeks