By: Daniel Nardini
Just before the U.S. presidential election, a man named Joe Gordon was released from a Thai jail and left Thailand on November 8th. His crime? “Insulting the Thai monarchy.” What did he really do? He simply translated into Thai the book The King Never Smiles, a scholarly work published by Yale University press. This book is banned in Thailand, but it is widely available in the United States. More than that, Gordon simply read and did the translation work in the United States. Hence, his work was simply a protected right under the U.S. Constitution. When Joe Gordon (whose Thai name is Lerpong Wichaikhammat) went back to Thailand for medical treatment, he was arrested and imprisoned under barbaric conditions. Eventually he received a “royal pardon” from the same government he is said to have “insulted.” This case is troubling because the alleged “crime” was done in the United States and therefore legal. To try a man for something done legally in this country means that Joe Gordon, who is also a U.S. citizen, was tried under Thailand’s infamous lese majesty laws (insult against the monarchy) and found guilty even though he was NOT in Thailand at the time. This means that Thailand has extended its laws to the shores of the United States.
This is a violation of America’s constitutional laws and an international crime. This makes Thailand and the Thai government the enemy of the United States. What is most disappointing is how spineless the U.S. government itself was in the whole incident. Because Thailand is considered a “friend,” the U.S. government and its embassy issued a statement condemning the arrest and imprisonment of Gordon. It did not do more which it should have! The Thai government could have cared less about American opinion or about how poorly it treated this and other Americans. Just as equally troubling was the case of another Thai-born U.S. citizen named Anthony Chai who was also arrested and imprisoned for violation of lese majesty laws even though he had done this in the United States as well. These two cases should raise serious red flags about Thailand and the fact that the country is now going backward into the 18th Century. But like so many so-called “friendly” governments, the U.S. government has an airbase in Thailand, and now wants to have maybe surveillance bases in Thailand as well. More, the U.S. government wants to expand its cooperation with the Thai government and Thai military on dealing with the rise of China.
On a personal note, I have seen the corruption and incompetence in Thailand firsthand, and you can be sure I will never go back there again! Ironically, one month after I left Thailand, the Thai military carried out one of the most brutal massacres of civilians in its history. Many people in Thailand have to watch what they say lest they end up in a squalid prison with 40 to 60 other people and one toilet. Between the out-dated monarchy, the brutal and corrupt Thai military, and the fact that the main opposition, the Red Shirts, are in prison, this is a country with deep fissures that will someday crack. Even though Gordon was born and raised in Thailand, he can never go back there until the Thai military is reformed or abolished and the lese majesty laws are abolished. Only when Thailand has true democracy can I think Gordon and all of us be able to go to Thailand without fear.
With A Friend Like This…..
By: Daniel Nardini
This is a violation of America’s constitutional laws and an international crime. This makes Thailand and the Thai government the enemy of the United States. What is most disappointing is how spineless the U.S. government itself was in the whole incident. Because Thailand is considered a “friend,” the U.S. government and its embassy issued a statement condemning the arrest and imprisonment of Gordon. It did not do more which it should have! The Thai government could have cared less about American opinion or about how poorly it treated this and other Americans. Just as equally troubling was the case of another Thai-born U.S. citizen named Anthony Chai who was also arrested and imprisoned for violation of lese majesty laws even though he had done this in the United States as well. These two cases should raise serious red flags about Thailand and the fact that the country is now going backward into the 18th Century. But like so many so-called “friendly” governments, the U.S. government has an airbase in Thailand, and now wants to have maybe surveillance bases in Thailand as well. More, the U.S. government wants to expand its cooperation with the Thai government and Thai military on dealing with the rise of China.
On a personal note, I have seen the corruption and incompetence in Thailand firsthand, and you can be sure I will never go back there again! Ironically, one month after I left Thailand, the Thai military carried out one of the most brutal massacres of civilians in its history. Many people in Thailand have to watch what they say lest they end up in a squalid prison with 40 to 60 other people and one toilet. Between the out-dated monarchy, the brutal and corrupt Thai military, and the fact that the main opposition, the Red Shirts, are in prison, this is a country with deep fissures that will someday crack. Even though Gordon was born and raised in Thailand, he can never go back there until the Thai military is reformed or abolished and the lese majesty laws are abolished. Only when Thailand has true democracy can I think Gordon and all of us be able to go to Thailand without fear.