World

Thailand frees Australian writer

by Amitjha | February 20, 2009 at 10:22 pm

98 views | 17 Recommendations | 5 comments

Thai authority have released the Australian writer, who was facing charges for the defamatory writing about the monarchy.

Harry Nicolaides, an Australian writer jailed in Thailand for defaming its monarch, has returned home after being pardoned by the king and set free.

Mr Nicolaides, 41, had been sentenced to three years imprisonment in January.

The charges arose from a passage in a largely unknown novel he wrote in 2005, of which only seven of 50 copies printed were ever sold.

Mr Nicolaides was met by his family in Melbourne. He would next see his mother in hospital, his father told reporters.

Speaking at the airport in Melbourne, Mr Nicolaides thanked the Australian people for their support, the Associated Press news agency reports.

He told reporters he had been crying for eight hours, having only learnt moments before his flight that his mother had suffered a stroke while he was imprisoned.

"A few hours before that I was informed I had a royal pardon... A few hours before that I was climbing out of a sewerage tank that I fell into in the prison," AP quotes him as saying.

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gerrypopplestone

at 02:32 on February 21st, 2009

Lucky man indeed! It makes me very careful in what I say about the U-NO-?

Gerry

Amitjha

at 02:48 on February 21st, 2009

Ha ha ha .....why should you worry, you have liberty to use your 90 years of expveriance, even they will consider your point of view.

djermano

at 06:04 on February 21st, 2009

Well the Thai king is not such a bad guy after-all.....Good going Mr. King.......

Bro. Jermano

Laughing-Samurai (not verified)

at 06:07 on February 21st, 2009

I believe, according to the CNN News, another author or writer has been arrested and charged with a similar crime. Insulting the King of Thailand is a big deal and not something anyone should do while there, whatever you political opinions.

When I'm vacating in Thailand, one of my favorite countries, I just refuse to even discuss the King.

Ken Sears (not verified)

at 10:58 on February 23rd, 2009

The Australian writer “offended” the Thai monarchy? I’d say Thailand itself “offended” every sense of freedom and decency and civility throughout the entire civilized world by imprisoning this harmless man out of a primitive, dare I say anal-retentive, obsession with the sensibilities of a guy who is, at the end of the say, just a guy… even if he does wear a crown. Hey, my sensibilities are offended by what Thailand did. So whaddya say we put the whole country in jail for three months, hm? Or at least the dolts in Thai government who pulled off this little piece of utter moronism.