Regarding the case of Mr. Opas Chansuksai who was charged with the violation of the lèse-majesté law in October 2014 and appeared at Bangkok Military Court this morning (October 16, 2015), the court ruled that Mr. Opas was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison but the sentence was reduced to one year and six months as the defendant confessed to the charges. In 2014, Mr. Opas was originally sentenced to three years but the prison term was halved because he admitted to the crime. The new sentence will start once the existing one ends in January. 

         The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms that the case has been treated fairly and conducted in accordance with due legal process. The lèse-majesté law is part of Thailand’s Criminal Code. It gives protection to the rights or reputations of the Their Majesties the King and Queen, the Heir-apparent, or the Regent in a similar way libel law does for commoners to uphold national security and public order. It is not aimed at curbing people’s rights to freedom of expression. Moreover, Thailand is committed to international practices in providing similar protection for King and Queen and heir apparent of other States as well as  the official representives thereof as enshrined in article 133 - 134 of Thailand's Criminal Code. As with other criminal offences, proceedings on lèse-majesté cases are conducted in accordance with due legal process.

         The Thai monarchy has been a pillar of stability in Thailand. The Thai sense of identity is closely linked to the monarchy, an institution that dates back more than 700 years. The institution, to this day, continues to play a unifying role and symbolizes the unity of the Thai communities.Enacting appropriate legislation to protect the highly revered institution is a common practice in Thailand as in other nations.