[fushigi]

Quote by: The Decider So giving this Swiss drunk what may amount to a lenient sentence is evidence of an anti-foreign crackdown by the Thai military? Do you have evidence to support this claim?

Ah, finally, I knew I'd get some evidence for you eventually. Enjoy:

There is, of course, a difference between reasoned criticism of the king and crude insults that offend many Thais, who see the monarch as a symbol of the nation. It may be more shocking than surprising that a Swiss resident of Thailand, Oliver Jufer, received the draconian sentence of 10 years in prison for drunkenly defacing a picture of the king, or that access to YouTube should be banned for carrying caricatures of the monarch. (According to wire reports, Jufer was pardoned and released on Tuesday.) Nonetheless, there is an evident attempt by the stumbling junta to drum up nationalist sentiment by making a huge fuss about such minor issues. The supposedly liberal-minded opposition Democrat Party has allowed itself to be drawn into this controversy, demanding even stronger action against YouTube.