THAILAND: Not giving the monarchy the rightful respect

Admit it, Americans have always been fascinated by monarchies. Maybe because we didn’t have any and in our minds, royalty was a story with Disney princes and princesses. If you ever go to Thailand, the royal family there will surely spark your interest.

But be careful! Even well-intentioned comments and questions can be misunderstood and twisted into something offensive. It’s not uncommon for foreigners to have been put in jail for saying or doing something that was considered disrespectful to the monarchy.

The maximum punishment for such an offense, also known as Lèse-majesté, is 15 years in prison, according to Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code.