Two young Thais accused of defaming the monarchy in a university play were jailed for two and a half years today, as the ruling junta intensifies a crackdown under a controversial lese majeste law.
Student Patiwat Saraiyaem, 23, and activist Porntip Mankong, 26, had pleaded guilty to defamation following their arrests last August, nearly a year after "The Wolf Bride" -- a satire set in a fictional kingdom -- was performed.
The pair were originally handed five-year jail terms but the sentence was halved due to their confessions, said a judge at Ratchada Criminal Court in Bangkok.
"The court considers their role in the play caused serious damage to the monarchy and sees no reason to suspend their sentences," he told a packed courtroom including the accused, their relatives and friends as well as representatives from the UN human rights office.
Rights groups say lese majeste prosecutions have surged since the army seized power from an elected government last May, as the military seeks legitimacy from its self-designated role as protector of the monarchy.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, is revered by many in the country as a demi-god and anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in jail on each count.
The pair were charged over their performance of "The Wolf Bride" at Bangkok's Thammasat University to mark the 40th anniversary of a pro-democracy student protest on the campus that was brutally crushed by the military regime in October 1973.
Around a dozen young activists briefly linked hands and chanted slogans in support of the pair and democracy -- defying a junta ban on demonstrations -- as Patiwat, whose feet were bound in chains, and Porntip were led out of the court in handcuffs.
Their lawyer Pawinee Chumsri said her clients, who have been detained since their arrest and denied bail, would not appeal.
