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Thai activists accused of defaming king 'disappear'

Rights groups have called on Thailand to explain the disappearance of three activists accused of insulting the monarchy. Separately, a man jailed under the country's lese-majeste laws has been freed in a royal pardon.

Three activists who are facing charges under Thailand's strict laws against insulting the monarchy have disappeared after reportedly being arrested in Vietnam, rights groups said on Friday.

The organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Thai government to provide information on the mens' disappearance, which comes just months after two other critics of the monarchy and the military government were found dead in Laos.

The three — Chucheep Chiwasut, Siam Theerawut and Kritsana Thapthai — were reportedly handed over to Thai authorities by Vietnam on May 8, having been arrested a month earlier, HRW said in a statement, citing details previously provided by the Thai Alliance for Human Rights.

Stiff prison penalties

They are all accused or suspected of offending Thailand's lese majeste laws, which stipulate punishment of up to 15 years in prison for anyone who insults the king, queen, heir or regent.

Rights groups have voiced concern that the ruling military, which is closely associated with the royal family, has been using the laws more rigorously as a way of suppressing dissent since the junta came to power in a coup in 2014.

Thailand's deputy prime minister, Prawit Wongsuwan, has denied that the three men are in Thai custody.

Rights groups say the laws against insults to the king, seen here, are often used to suppress free speech

Prisoners pardoned

In a separate development, prominent Thai activist Jatupat "Pai Dao Din" Boonpattaraksa has been released from jail a month before his two and a half year sentence for lese majeste violations ended.

Jatupat, who was imprisoned for posting a BBC profile of King Maha Vajiralongkorn that allegedly contained offensive details about the king's private life, was freed as part of a royal amnesty for thousands of prisoners to mark his May 4-6 coronation.

Thai activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa Khon Kaen

Jatupat has been arrested several times for criticizing the government

The activist, the first to be detained after Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne in 2016, expressed his gratitude to the monarch for his release.

"It's the mercy of the king and I am grateful," he said.

Up to 50,000 prisoners are expected to be released under the royal pardons, according to the corrections department.

Ornate coronation ceremonies in Thailand

Wearing a 200-year-old crown

In one of Saturday's ceremonies, the king put on a crown weighing 7.3 kilograms (16 pounds) and measuring 66 centimeters (26 inches) in height. It symbolizes his royal powers, which include the right to intervene in government affairs. "I shall reign in righteousness for the benefits of the kingdom and the people forever," he said in his traditional first royal command.
Ornate coronation ceremonies in Thailand

Regal arrival

King Maja Vajiralongkorn arrived at the Grand Palace in Bangkok in a Daimler DE36 from the now-defunct British Daimler Company, with streets before the building lined with officials. Although he has already reigned as constitutional monarch since 2016, the ceremonies will fully and formally invest him with regal power.
Ornate coronation ceremonies in Thailand

Army in attendance

No coronation would be complete without immaculately attired King's Guard soldiers. Thailand's army plays a major role in the country's politics and the country is currently ruled by a military junta since a 2014 coup. But opposition politicians are seeking to push the army out of politics.
Ornate coronation ceremonies in Thailand

Artillery salute

Cannon were fired to salute the king while ceremonies began in the Grand Palace. Horns and pipes also accompanied the moment when the king was anointed with consecrated water taken from more than a hundred sites across the country.
Ornate coronation ceremonies in Thailand

Water purification ritual

The king donned a white robe for the Royal Purification Ceremony, which saw him showered with water from old royal water vessels. The rites are a combination of Hindu and Buddhist practices and go back centuries. The king, who will also be known as Rama X, is the 10th in the Chakri dynasty, which has reigned since 1782.
Ornate coronation ceremonies in Thailand

Watching on television

The coronation, costing around $31 million (€27.6 million), was broadcast on television, with subjects also able to watch it on LED screens sited outside the palace. But people should avoid making any negative comments about the coronation or the king or they may risk severe penalties for lese-majeste.
Ornate coronation ceremonies in Thailand

A royal procession

Wearing a traditional golden costume, the king was carried on a palanquin by orange-clad soldiers to greet more than 150,000 people sitting along the roads of Bangkok. Many of the spectators wore yellow — a color associated with the monarchy. The king's carriage was also surrounded by soldiers carrying swords and others playing music.

Author: Timothy Jones