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A Thai man has been sentenced to a two-year prison sentence for selling calendars that supposedly defamed Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Running afoul

On Mar. 7, Thai news site Thai Enquirer reported that a 26-year-old man was sentenced to two years imprisonment for defaming the Thai King Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X.

The man was unnamed in the tweet but was given the identifier of "Ton Mai" by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

Ton Mai has convicted of selling "Yellow Duck Calendar 2021" via Facebook, a calendar adorned with yellow cartoon ducks, made to resemble rubber bath toys often given to children.

The ducks were pictured in various garbs which have been judged to "have resembled the monarch", which would have run Ton Mai afoul of Thailand's famously rigorously enforced lese majeste law.

One such example is a sash with medallions similar to that worn by the king, another being a black crop top that the king was once pictured in in a tabloid photo taken of him overseas.

(2/2) The calendar comes with an English text "Most Wanted", said Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Khaosod English cannot show the image of the calendar due to the risk of breaking the lese majeste law. #Thailand #WhatsHappeningInThailand #KE

— Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish) March 7, 2023

The ducks themselves did not resemble the monarch.

According to the BBC, the lese-majeste laws targets anyone who "defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent".

Offenders face between three and 15 years in jail, although a case in 2021 resulted in a Thai woman receiving a 43-year-sentence.

In this case, the man was initially sentenced to three years in jail, which was reduced to two because he had cooperated with authorities.

Causing a flap

The calendar was being sold on the "Ratsadorn" Facebook page; which shares a name with a Thai anti-establishment activist movement.

This movement has been more active in recent years, specifically protesting the perceived involvement of the monarchy in Thai electoral politics.

Thailand is likely to face a general election soon, even as Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has survived a legal attempt to force him to step down.

Reuters reports that the election could be held as soon as May this year.

The monarchy is also undergoing a time of uncertainty as the daughter of the king, Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, remains hospitalised after suffering a heart problem in December 2022. 

Bajrakitiyabha was speculated to be Vajiralongkorn's preferred successor. 

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Top image via Unsplash. Top image is not one of the defamatory images found on the calendar mentioned in the story.