Sulak Sivaraksa
How an Activist Buddhist Convinced Thai King Law on Insulting Monarchy Was Being Abused Peter Janssen
Sulak Siviaraksa is a respected Thai social activist. He talks about how a chance meeting with new King Vajiralongkorn resulted in an end to new lèse-majesté cases in Thailand. Photo: Mikel Flamm
Sulak Sivaraksa, proponent of engaged Buddhism, talks about how an audience with King Maha Vajiralongkorn led to a halt in new lèse-majesté cases in Thailand. Lèse-majesté, or insulting the monarchy, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison in Thailand. Sporting a panama hat, his signature collarless shirt and sarong-like longyi, Sulak Sivaraksa addressed an auditorium at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University this month on the disappearance of fellow activist Sombath Somphone. The Laotian citizen went missing at a police
checkpoint in Vientiane in 2012. “Sombath is a good friend of mine,” says Sulak, who at the age of 86 remains Thailand’s bestknown political gadfly. His long career as a social critic and activist has driven him into exile twice and seen him embroiled in numerous court cases. Sulak has been campaigning for Laos’ communist government to release Sombath, 67, since his mysterious disappearance. Before he vanished, Sombath was the country’s foremost promoter of community development initiatives, launching numerous grass-roots projects in 38
