Lèse-majesté and speech: the one line no visitor should test

Thailand protects the monarchy with one of the world's strictest lèse-majesté laws, and it is essential for any foreigner to understand it plainly and without editorialising. Section 112 of the Criminal Code makes defaming, insulting or threatening the King, Queen, Heir-apparent or Regent an offence punishable by three to fifteen years' imprisonment per count — and counts can stack. Cases can be initiated by any member of the public, not only the authorities, and the law has been applied to social-media posts, shared content, and comments made abroad. The Computer Crime Act B.E. 2550 (2007) adds separate liability for content posted or shared online.

The practical guidance is simple and firm: do not post, share, "like" in a way that could be read as endorsement, or say anything that could be construed as insulting the monarchy, including about images on currency or portraits displayed in public. This is not a rule that bends for tourists or for humour, and "I didn't know" is not a defence. Show the ordinary respect you would extend anywhere — stand for the royal anthem in cinemas, do not deface images of the King — and steer conversations about the monarchy away from anything that could be taken as disparaging.