MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to Bangkok Post newspaper, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon vowed to take legal action against the BBC Thai for publishing on their website a controversial profile regarding King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
The BBC office in Bangkok has been closed since Friday, while the company’s representatives gave no comments on the issue.
The article published by the BBC Thai could be deemed as violating Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, known as the lese majeste law. In accordance with the section, any insulting of a monarch or a ruling family is punished by imprisonment for up to 15 years.
On October 13, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej died at the age of 88. The same day, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that Vajiralongkorn, 64, would become the country’s new king. On December 1, Vajiralongkorn was officially declared the king of Thailand, the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty.
