Thai courts hand jail terms to lawmaker and musician for royal insults

BANGKOK Courts in Thailand handed jail terms on May 27 to an activist musician who set fire to a portrait of the king, and to an opposition lawmaker for insulting the monarchy, their lawyers said.

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Another monarchy-reform activist who had gone on a partial hunger strike after being accused of harassing a royal motorcade and charged with sedition - was granted bail from pre-trial detention at a separate hearing, a legal aid group said.

The musician and the lawmaker had fallen foul of Thailand's lese majeste law one of the toughest of its kind in the world which shields the powerful monarchy from criticism and carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail for each offence.

Chonthicha Jangrew, 31, a parliamentarian with the Move Forward Party, received a two-year term for a speech made in 2021 at an anti-government protest. She had denied the charge and was given bail pending an appeal, her lawyer Marisa Pidsaya told Reuters.

Another court sentenced musician Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, 35, to four years in prison for burning a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.