BANGKOK, Feb. 28 (UPI) — Authorities arrested the parents of the former princess of Thailand on Friday, the latest of her family members to be targeted by a measure outlawing defamation, insults and threats to the Thai king.
Apiruj Suwadee, 72, and Wanthanee Suwadee, 66, pleaded guilty to charges that they used royal connections to jail a former neighbor on false fraud charges over a decade ago.
“We plead for mercy from the royal family,” Apiruj Suwadee said, {link:according to the BBC.: “http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31656469″,nw}
Their daughter, former Princess Srirasmi Suwadee, recently divorced from Thai Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The two had reportedly been estranged for years, but the move came after members of the former princess’s extended family were arrested under Thailand’s lese majeste laws, which prohibit defamation, insults and threats to the Thai king under punishment of 15 years in prison.
Vajiralongkorn {link:stripped his wife and her family of their royal title: “http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/11/29/Thai-prince-strips-wifes-family-of-royal-name-in-wake-of-corruption-probe/2011417303710/”,nw} last November. It was around the same time her uncle, a former chief of the Central Investigation Bureau, was arrested under lese majeste laws due to involvement in kidnapping, smuggling and gambling rackets. He is now serving a 31-year prison sentence.
At least nine of Srirasmi Suwadee’s family members have been arrested for lese majeste offenses.
Thailand’s military seized control over the country in May 2014 following violent anti-government protests and has since been accused of using lese majeste laws to increase purges of political rivals.
Vajiralongkorn will eventually succeed his 87-year-old father, the country’s popular King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has ruled Thailand since 1946.
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