Thai junta vows to hunt down fugitives suspected of defaming monarchy
Chiefs to seek extradition of figures accused of royal defamation amid fears law is being abused
The Thai junta said it will "hunt" fugitives wanted under the kingdom's strict royal defamation law, vowing to press foreign governments to hand over suspects seeking sanctuary abroad.
Rights groups say cases breaching Article 112 of the penal code - which protects the monarchy from criticism - have surged since the May coup, as the military burnishes its reputation as the defender of the royal family.
Junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who is also prime minister, has said scores of people are living outside the country to evade legal processes including charges of lese majeste - each count of which carries up to 15 years in jail.
Yesterday one of his deputies said Thailand will contact the countries they have fled to - without naming the nations.
Lese majeste suspects are known to be in France and Britain among other nations.
"We will hunt and arrest all of these suspects," Prawit Wongsuwan said.
"We want to explain to foreign countries that these people have breached an article of Thai law that qualifies them for extradition," Prawit, who is also defence minister, added.
"We focus on violators of Article 112 because these people have a bad attitude towards the monarchy," he said, adding that the "issue is crucial".
Prawit said Thai officials are also searching for those responsible for a rumour that caused the Thai stock market to tank nine per cent in early trading on Monday.
Prayut on Tuesday said false rumours about the health of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulaydej, 87, were behind the slump, which corrected itself by the close of trading.
The Thai king, revered but ailing, has spent the last few months in hospital and has undergone surgery to remove his gall bladder.
Critics say the lese majeste law is increasingly targeting political opponents of the royalist Bangkok-based establishment.
