Sondhi gets 3 years for defamation

POLITICS / ELECTION AFTERMATH

Sondhi gets 3 years for defamation

The Criminal Court sentenced publisher Sondhi Limthongkul to three years in jail yesterday on charges of defaming former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and dragging the monarchy into politics. The court refused to suspend the sentence. A grim-faced Sondhi said he would appeal and was allowed 300,000 baht bail.

Mr Thaksin filed a suit against Sondhi and Khunthong Lorserivanich, editor of Manager daily owned by Mr Sondhi.

The lawsuit said that in a speech at Sanam Luang between March 6 and 24 last year, Sondhi alleged Mr Thaksin ordered his followers to burn the rally stage used by the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in Phuket and to hire hitmen to kill them. Mr Sondhi also alleged Mr Thaksin spent a lot of money buying the love of the Thai people.

Sondhi had also accused Mr Thaksin of indulging in supernatural arts because he wanted to own Thailand.

Reports of the speeches were carried in the Manager.

The Court ruled Sondhi had produced no evidence to substantiate his allegations, had acted undemocratically to build up anti-Thaksin sentiment and attempted to polarise the public.

Sondhi had used yellow, a colour associated with the King, to symbolise his campaign along with T-shirts bearing the slogan, ''We will fight for the King''.

This suggested Sondhi wanted to project the image he and his associates were on the same side as the monarchy and Mr Thaksin on the opposite side.

Such an attempt to use the monarchy as a political tool was a serious offence.

The court also sentenced the second defendant, Khunthong, to two years in jail. Since Khunthong had never previously been convicted, the court suspended his jail sentence for two years and fined him 40,000 baht.

The court also ordered an aplogy be published in four newspapers for five consecutive days.

Mr Sondhi was also found guilty in March of defaming a former deputy transport minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, and sentenced to two years in jail.

Mr Sondhi has been on bail pending an appeal in this case as well.