Author Topic: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste  (Read 1924 times)

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Johnnie F.

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American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« on: May 27, 2011, 03:51:30 PM »
Thailand arrests American for alleged king insult

BANGKOK -- An American has been arrested in Thailand for allegedly insulting its monarchy, a serious offense in this Southeast Asian nation punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

The U.S. Embassy confirmed the arrest but gave few details.


The 54-year-old man arrested Thursday created a link on his blog in 2007 to "The King Never Smiles," an unauthorized biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej that is banned in Thailand, a spokeswoman for the Department of Special Investigation, Thailand's equivalent of the FBI, said Friday.

The man denies the charge against him, according to the Thai-language prachatai.com news website, which tracks lese majeste cases. The website said he was born in Thailand, lived in the U.S. state of Colorado for 30 years and returned to Thailand last year for medical treatment.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy but has severe lese majeste laws that mandate a jail term of three to 15 years for any person who "defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the Regent."

Thai-based media routinely self-censor coverage of the royal family, but the Internet has tested the taboo. Thai authorities have responded by trying to block more than 2,000 websites.

Critics say the lese majeste laws are often a weapon of political harassment, and calls have grown recently to amend or abolish them.

The DSI spokeswoman, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity, said the American is jailed in Bangkok after a Thai court denied his request for bail. She said he was also accused inciting public unrest under Thailand's Computer Crimes Act. DSI did not identify him.

Police arrested the man at his home in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, and seized a computer and cell phone, praachatai.com said.

A U.S. consular officer visited the American on Friday morning, said Walter M. Braunohler, the U.S. Embassy spokesman in Bangkok.

Braunohler gave no other details and did not identify the man, saying only that "we're still looking into what the exact charges are."

Forbes.com

Original article in Prachatai see

http://prachatai.com/journal/2011/05/35124
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dirtydog

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2011, 06:26:09 PM »
You will probably find it is this idiot who has been arrested http://en.rsf.org/thailand-us-citizen-interrogated-by-thai-07-05-2010,37406.html if you check out his website which is in archive.org you will find that it is unlikely he will ever be released, infact things he has posted would end him up in jail regardless of who the person was he was posting about.

Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2011, 07:04:14 PM »
There are a lot of strange people staying in Korat. Some should have been incarcerated long ago or better should not have been released after they did time in their home country slammers for serious crimes like matricide.
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Saf

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2011, 10:00:45 PM »
There are a lot of strange people staying in Korat. Some should have been incarcerated long ago or better should not have been released after they did time in their home country slammers for serious crimes like matricide.

Quite so. The clever ones keep their heads down. The real off the wall idiots make exhibitions of themselves.

JF, didn't a mentally disturbed little prick once try to dump LM posts on your forum in an attempt to cause trouble for you?

Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2011, 10:37:02 PM »
JF, didn't a mentally disturbed little prick once try to dump LM posts on your forum in an attempt to cause trouble for you?


Yes, and he even kept posting that same link the American has been arrested for. Dates back to 2009. I filed a police report about harassment with all the evidence (screen-shots, access data) attached. Since it took 4 years to charge that American, that other North-American can probably still expect action in his case. Things don't go so fast sometimes, but they might take much longer in the end. Imagine 15 years in jail for each of those 8 offenses.

Oh, when he came to my house to get what he probably had planned as an injunction I asked him in front of the officer whether he wanted to get more of his Lese Majeste case. You know what he answered? "And, did something happen?", acting like he had power to obstruct the law enforcement. The officer, who did not know about that case,  looked baffled. And I said calmly: "Have some more patience!"
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Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2011, 11:18:03 PM »
You will probably find it is this idiot who has been arrested http://en.rsf.org/thailand-us-citizen-interrogated-by-thai-07-05-2010,37406.html if you check out his website which is in archive.org you will find that it is unlikely he will ever be released, infact things he has posted would end him up in jail regardless of who the person was he was posting about.


No, it looks like it was another person.


American Faces More Than 15 Year Sentence in Thailand for Insulting Monarchy


Supporters of Somsak Jeamteerasakul, a 54-year-old professor and former student activist, hold placards at a police station in Bangkok, May 11, 2011. Thailand's army filed charges against the historian for insulting the monarchy, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Thai police have arrested U.S. citizen Lerpong Wichaikhammat, 54, and charged him with defaming the revered monarchy for an alleged offense dating to a four-year-old post on his blog.

Insulting the monarchy, known as "Lese Majeste", is a serious crime in Thailand that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Rights groups and academics have criticized the controversial law and say Thai authorities abuse it for political purposes.

The alleged offense appears to have occurred years ago, when he was living in the U.S. state of Colorado, where he spent 30 years.

Thai police say Lerpong, who also goes by the name Joe Gordon in the United States, provided a link on his blog in 2007 to the book “The King Never Smiles."

The unauthorized biography of 83-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is deemed critical of the Thai royal family and is banned in Thailand.

Gordon was arrested on Tuesday in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province where he has been living for the past year. In addition to the Lese Majeste charge, he is accused of violating Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act for committing Lese Majeste online.

It is not clear why authorities decided to arrest Gordon now, but rights activists say there has been increasing use of the law to silence critical voices and political opponents.

Benjamin Zawacki, Asia researcher for Amnesty International, spoke about the controversial law this week at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.

“Although the Lese Majeste law has been on the books for decades, during Thailand’s ongoing political crisis, which began in late 2005, it has been used more vigorously amidst a worsening climate for political expression,” said Zawacki.

A spokesman at the United States Embassy in Bangkok says a consular official visited Gordon on Friday and that they are following his case closely.

Zawacki says the law, as currently drafted, means Thailand is violating its international legal obligations to protect freedom of speech and that it should be changed.

Thai authorities say the strict law is necessary to protect the revered monarchy from slanderous attack and to ensure national security.

Zawacki says it is clearly a legal and factual stretch to claim that an insulting remark could compromise the security of the nation.

Rights groups and academics have decried authorities’ increasing use of the law to silence critics and opposition politicians.

A Thai historian and an editor of opposition Red Shirt news magazines were recently charged with Lese Majeste.

Thai authorities have also charged 18 leaders of the Red Shirts movement.

Gordon would not be the first to be charged with Lese Majeste for posting someone else’s writing.

The editor of the online magazine Prachatai, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, was charged last year on several counts of Lese Majeste for bloggers’ postings on her website.

Authorities say that although she did not post them herself, she did not remove the offending messages quickly enough and could be sentenced to several decades in prison.

Voice of America
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Toddy

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2011, 05:26:56 PM »
Some people never learn.

It's like the idiots in Dubai who get boozed up and get into trouble.

Saf

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2011, 08:45:02 AM »
JF, didn't a mentally disturbed little prick once try to dump LM posts on your forum in an attempt to cause trouble for you?


Yes, and he even kept posting that same link the American has been arrested for. Dates back to 2009. I filed a police report about harassment with all the evidence (screen-shots, access data) attached. Since it took 4 years to charge that American, that other North-American can probably still expect action in his case. Things don't go so fast sometimes, but they might take much longer in the end. Imagine 15 years in jail for each of those 8 offenses.

Oh, when he came to my house to get what he probably had planned as an injunction I asked him in front of the officer whether he wanted to get more of his Lese Majeste case. You know what he answered? "And, did something happen?", acting like he had power to obstruct the law enforcement. The officer, who did not know about that case,  looked baffled. And I said calmly: "Have some more patience!"


Yes, these things do take some time. I imagine that LM cases need approval from right up the chain.

He once claimed to teach privately a certain foreign language to a student very highly placed in the hierarchy of this country. Isn't that, perhaps, LM?

Baby Farts

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2011, 08:58:40 AM »
JF,

I hope you still have the post from SUE-BOY when he posted links to that same book.  He has effectively committed the same crime as this Gordon guy.  If you have the IP address saved (hope it's not a proxy) a police report can be made and the user of that IP address can be obtained from his ISP.  I encourage you to do this and if you need assistance with this, just let me know.  He was obviously trying to frame you by posting those links.  I remember them well.  What a downright dirty and nasty thing to do. 

Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2011, 09:33:51 AM »
The original posts with the access data of the poster are still in the archive. I told The Boy named Sue when he came here for that injunction that I never deleted his posts but kept them in a hidden area of the forum. He hasn't posted since on this forum to my knowledge.

The posts were made over a proxy server in Florida. I contacted that company and they answered they would reveal the contact data of their customer to a law enforcement agency upon them requesting. This correspondence I submitted together with the screenshots when I filed that police report about harassment. It's in the hands of Thai law enforcement already. The officers told me not to show those screenshots around my friends, so I couldn't be charged for LM myself.

More about that affair in this thread:

http://koratfart.com/korat-forums-support-desk/no-slandering-please!/
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Baby Farts

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2011, 04:25:02 AM »
Again, another ploy that backfired on him, just like the screen shot he posted on another forum.  He also took screen shot of the private members' section.  Take a look at that one too.  Trying to frame someone to get them in trouble with the law is the nastiest thing a person could do other than.......I won't say it.  I am simply appalled with all this new evidence which has surfaced.  I knew it would be just a matter of time before he tripped himself up.  I want to ad that I'd be very cautious on observant over the next few days as you don't know what this guy might do.  He could go postal.  We don't know.  I am on the watch and so are my neighbors. Just be careful because this guy could easily snap. 

Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2011, 05:52:29 AM »
Thai-American faces new security charge

A Thai-born man with American citizenship arrested on a charge of lese majeste has also been charged with committing an offence against national security, Department of Special Investigation chief Tharit Pengdit says.

This has provided grounds for the DSI to oppose the man's request for bail, Mr Tharit said.

Lerpong Wichaikhammat, also known as Joe Gordon, is being held in a Bangkok prison after a court denied his request for bail.

Mr Tharit said lese majeste was also deemed an offence against state security.

Mr Lerpong is charged with lese majeste in breach of Section 112 of the Criminal Code and is also charged with instigating people to break the law under Section 116 of the Criminal Code.

The American was arrested on Thursday in Nakhon Ratchasima for posting a link on his blog in 2007 to The King Never Smiles, an unauthorised biography of His Majesty that is banned in Thailand.

Bangkok Post
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Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #12 on: August 18, 2011, 10:31:03 PM »
American charged with insulting Thai monarchy

BANGKOK (AP) — A lawyer says an American citizen has been formally charged with insulting Thailand's monarchy, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

Lawyer Anon Numpa says his client, Joe Gordon, was charged with lese majeste for allegedly translating parts of an unauthorized biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and writing articles that defamed the royal family.

Gordon was arrested in May and was detained for the maximum 84 days that a suspect can be held without charge.

The website Prachatai.com says Gordon denied the charge. It says he was born in Thailand but lived in the U.S. state of Colorado for about 30 years before returning to Thailand earlier this year.

U.S. Embassy officials were not available for comment late Thursday.

Associated Press
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Toddy

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #13 on: August 18, 2011, 11:54:45 PM »
Why, oh why do people continue to do this when they know the consequences??  :(

Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2011, 09:14:07 AM »
There's a "specialist" in town to answer that question, or did he move already? Two years after he has been reported to the police for harrassment and evidence supplied to them I'm still waiting for the headline "'Frog' arrested in Korat for Lese Majeste", . But I believe in his case it was clearly an attempt to frame me.
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Baby Farts

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #15 on: August 19, 2011, 04:25:26 PM »
There's a "specialist" in town to answer that question, or did he move already? Two years after he has been reported to the police for harrassment and evidence supplied to them I'm still waiting for the headline "'Frog' arrested in Korat for Lese Majeste", . But I believe in his case it was clearly an attempt to frame me.

That's only one charge to add to the list. 

Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #16 on: October 10, 2011, 09:52:48 AM »
Lawyer says American to plead guilty to monarchy insult charges in Thailand

BANGKOK — A detained U.S. citizen facing up to 15 years in prison for allegedly insulting Thailand’s royal family will plead guilty in the case on Monday in hopes of receiving a lenient sentence, his lawyer said.

Thai-born American Joe Gordon, 54, has been detained since late May on charges of translating parts of a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posting the links online.

This Southeast Asian kingdom has the most severe lese majeste laws in the world, and anyone convicted of defaming the royal family faces from three to 15 years behind bars.

Defense lawyer Arnon Nampa said Gordon had decided last week to plead guilty after being denied bail eight times. The court was expected to deliver a verdict and a sentence Monday.

“The fact that his bail requests have been repeatedly denied — that disheartened him and made him want to plead guilty,” Arnon told The Associated Press. “He said he wanted the penalty to be lessened and intended to ask for the royal pardon.”

Gordon has previously denied the charges against him, according to the independent Thai-language prachatai.com news website, which has interviewed him in prison.

Speaking briefly to reporters as he was being escorted into the courtroom on Monday, Gordon confirmed that he would plead guilty. “How can I fight?” he said, adding that the trial is “not fair.”

“I want the American government to help me because this is about freedom of expression,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy has tried unsuccessfully to help Gordon, registering its public disappointment in the case in August, when prosecutors officially filed charges.

Many had hoped that the administration of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, some of whose top supporters have been accused of lese majeste charges, would re-examine the harsh sentences for lese majeste cases. Critics say the laws are frequently abused by political rivals, and the issue remains highly sensitive.

Gordon reportedly lived in the U.S. state of Colorado for about 30 years before returning recently to Thailand. Arnon said Gordon wished to return to Colorado.

Gordon’s primary crime appears to be translating excerpts from the locally banned, unauthorized biography “The King Never Smiles” into the Thai language and publishing them online in an article that allegedly insulted the monarchy. He also provided links to the translation to other two web forums.

Royal pardons are granted to prisoners by the Thai king on special occasions, such as his birthday or the anniversary of his ascension to the throne.

Gordon was arrested by Thai authorities in May in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima after returning to Thailand for medical treatment in March.

The Washington Post
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Baby Farts

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #17 on: October 10, 2011, 11:24:37 AM »
Dam.n!  I was hoping to see "Canadian ex-con faces fifteen years for posting links on a forum to a book that is banned in Thailand."

Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #18 on: October 11, 2011, 05:13:56 AM »
Joe Gordon, Thai-Born American Man, Pleads Guilty To Royal Insult In Thailand

BANGKOK -- Hoping for a lenient sentence, a shackled U.S. citizen pleaded guilty Monday to charges of defaming Thailand's royal family, a grave crime in the Southeast Asian kingdom punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

Thai-born American Joe Gordon has been detained since late May for translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posting them online. Gordon committed the alleged crimes years ago while living in the U.S. state of Colorado, where he worked as a car salesman. The case has raised concerns about the reach of Thai law and how it is applied to both Thai nationals and foreign visitors.

Lese majeste is the crime of insulting a ruler, and Thailand has the most severe lese majeste laws in the world. Critics say they have been increasingly abused by political rivals to harass opponents, particularly since a 2006 military coup.

"I'm not fighting in the case. I'm pleading guilty, sirs," Gordon, 55, told three judges at a Bangkok criminal court. He spoke while standing with handcuffs and ankle shackles.

Judges said a verdict and sentence would be issued Nov. 9.

Defense lawyer Arnon Nampa told The Associated Press earlier that Gordon had decided last week to plead guilty after being denied bail eight times.

"The fact that his bail requests have been repeatedly denied – that disheartened him and made him want to plead guilty," Arnon said before Monday's hearing. "He said he wanted the penalty to be lessened and intended to ask for the royal pardon."

Royal pardons are granted to prisoners by the Thai king on special occasions, such as his birthday or the anniversary of his ascension to the throne.

Gordon has previously denied the charges against him, according to the independent Thai-language prachatai.com news website, which has interviewed him in prison.

Speaking briefly to reporters as he was being escorted into the courtroom, Gordon said pleading innocent was futile. "How can I fight?" he said, adding that the justice system in Thailand is "not fair."

"I want the American government to help me because this is about freedom of expression," he said.

American diplomats have pressed Thai authorities unsuccessfully to drop the case, arguing in part that it could damage the country's tourism image and deter some from visiting.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell, responding to a question at a lecture in Thailand, noted that U.S. Embassy officials were present at Monday's hearing.

"We do have a strong belief in freedom of the press and we will continue to raise this case directly with Thai authorities," he said, declining to comment further. Embassy spokesman Walter M. Braunohler said the U.S. would stress "at every possible opportunity his rights as an American citizen."

Thailand is a longtime close ally of the United States, and any comment that could be construed as even an indirect criticism of the monarchy could be regarded with ill will by some officials.

Many had hoped that the new administration of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, some of whose top supporters have been accused of lese majeste, would re-examine such harsh sentences for cases involving the monarchy. The issue remains highly sensitive, however, and Yingluck's government has been just as aggressive in pursing the cases as its predecessors.

Gordon reportedly lived in the U.S. for about 30 years before returning to Thailand last March for medical treatment. Arnon said Gordon wished to return to Colorado.

Gordon was arrested by Thai authorities in May in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.

His primary crime appears to have been that he translated excerpts from the unauthorized biography "The King Never Smiles" into the Thai language and published them on a blog. He also provided links to the translation to other two Web forums, prosecutors say.

The book is banned in Thailand. In it, author Paul M. Handley retraces the king's life, alleging that Bhumibol has been a major stumbling block to the progress of democracy in Thailand as he consolidated royal power over his long reign.

The Huffington Post
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Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #19 on: October 11, 2011, 05:22:48 AM »
UN Expert Urges Reform of Thai Royal Insult Laws

A U.N. expert on freedom of speech called Monday for Thailand to tone down laws that prohibit defamation of the country's royal family, saying the legislation and punishments involved may violate an international rights treaty.

The statement by Frank La Rue came on the day an American man appeared shackled in a Bangkok court to plead guilty to charges of defaming the royal family.

Thai-born American Joe Gordon faces up to 15 years in jail for translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posting them online.

La Rue, the U.N.'s independent expert on freedom of opinion and expression, said the country's lese majeste laws were vague and the punishments overly harsh.


"The threat of a long prison sentence and vagueness of what kinds of expression constitute defamation, insult, or threat to the monarchy, encourage self-censorship and stifle important debates on matters of public interest," La Rue said.

"This is exacerbated by the fact that the charges can be brought by private individuals and trials are often closed to the public," he added.

La Rue said that under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Thailand has been a party to since 1996, countries are allowed to impose only very clear and limited exceptions to free speech, such as to protect the reputation of individuals and safeguard national security.

"The Thai penal code and the Computer Crimes Act do not meet these criteria," he said. "The laws are vague and overly broad, and the harsh criminal sanctions are neither necessary nor proportionate to protect the monarchy or national security."

Thailand's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, said the government was conscious of the problem raised by the U.N. expert.

"The monarchy is a very important institution — it's the pillar of stability and unity in Thailand. But we are aware of the concerns," he said, adding that a committee had been appointed to advise the government on how to better implement the law.

ABC news
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Johnnie F.

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #20 on: December 08, 2011, 11:51:02 AM »
Thailand Sentences American to Prison for Royal Family Insult

BANGKOK –  A court in Thailand has sentenced a U.S. citizen to two and a half years in prison for defaming the country's royal family.
Thai-born American Joe Gordon was accused of translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posting them online.
A Bangkok criminal court issued the verdict Thursday as Gordon stood wearing an orange prison uniform with his legs shackled.
The verdict indicated Gordon was to be sentenced to five years behind bars, but the judge halved the punishment because he pleaded guilty in October.
The 55-year-old has been detained since May.

FoxNews
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Baby Farts

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Re: American from Korat arrested for lese majeste
« Reply #21 on: December 10, 2011, 02:24:22 AM »
The US embassy is up in a roar about the sentence.