Thai court sentences 73-year-old for royal defamation

Bangkok (AFP) - Thailand's top court on Monday passed a suspended prison sentence on a schizophrenic 73-year-old man for breaching the kingdom's royal defamation laws, which are among the world's toughest.

Bandhit Aniya was originally sentenced in 2006 to a four-year suspended prison term for committing lese majeste in a speech. But a year later the punishment was extended to a full custodial sentence of two years and eight months.

He was bailed and appealed the decision, which went to the Supreme Court for deliberation.

Endorsing the 2006 sentence on Monday, the Supreme Court said Bandhit -- a former author -- was entitled to a suspended term because he was old and suffered from schizophrenia and had not committed other crimes.

Bandhit, who carried a small bag to the court in preparation for jail, said he was relieved at the verdict.

"I am glad, there is a justice," he told reporters.

Convictions under the controversial legislation are relatively common in a nation where the 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is revered as a demi-god by many Thais.

Under the lese majeste rules, anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.

Critics say the legislation has been politicised, noting that many of those charged are linked to the "Red Shirt" political movement which is broadly loyal to fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

His sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, took office in mid-2011 after a landslide election victory but she has said she will not seek to change the royal defamation law.

Yingluck has also faced weeks of mass opposition protests.