【2007 Archives】

007 ArchivesBBC is in trouble in Bangkok, after the broadcaster ran a profile piece on the new king, that authorities found objectionable.

The profile piece was published on Friday last week, a day after King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October.

On Tuesday, 10 police officersreportedly visited the BBC Bangkok office, but found it was closed.

The offending Thai-language article has been blocked in the country, and apparently carried some details that opened the new king to criticism.

The BBC noted that a local critic of the government shared its profile piece on his Facebook page, and has since been arrested for it.

Thailand has strong lese majeste laws that forbid any criticism of the royal family.

What was in that article?

In a separate English-language BBC profile of King Vajiralongkorn that is still up, there are details of his struggles keeping up with his military college training in Canberra, Australia.

The piece also includes a 1981 quote from his mother, Queen Sirikit, where she described him as "a bit of a Don Juan," saying he was more likely to be spending his time with women over performing his royal duties as then-Crown Prince.

The article also hints at the king's lower popularity compared with his sister, Princess Sirindhorn.

The BBC released a statement on Wednesday saying: "BBC Thai was established to bring impartial, independent and accurate news to a country where the media faces restrictions, and we are confident that this article adheres to the BBC's editorial principles."

BBC Bangkok remains active on social media

While the office may still be closed, the BBC's Thai-language Facebook account continues to be active.

In comments on a post about its investigation by the police, some Thai citizens weren't sympathetic.

Athicha Fon Vuttiviroj said [machine translation]: "You are well aware of the law and still you published the piece...As a lawyer, the law is the law and as a giant media house you should be aware and respect the law in the country you operate.

Another user, Roonuai Ruainoo was more supportive of the BBC [machine translation]: "I quite understand the freedom of media that BBC claims is the principle it adheres to. I hope you can get yourself out of this accusation."

Lese-majeste laws in Thailand

While the country is ruled by a separate military government, and not the royal family, the enforcement of the law is carried out by the military junta. Human rights organisations have criticised the way the lese majeste laws have been enforced, saying they've become tools to silence opponents of the government.

Last year, a man was arrested and charged with insulting both the late King Bhumibol and -- incredibly -- his dog.

And this year, a set of stickers on chat app Line that supposedly made fun of the royal family, including the current King Vajiralongkorn, set off authorities on a hunt for its makers.

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