30 years jail for monarchy insult on Facebook

Thai military courts have jailed two people, one for 30 years and the other for 28 years, for insulting the monarchy on Facebook, the heaviest sentences for the crime in the country’s history, lawyers and a legal monitoring group said.

Thailand’s lese-majeste laws are the world’s harshest and make it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the monarchy.

The punishments come at a time of heightened anxiety over the health of the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87. The world’s longest-reigning monarch, Bhumibol has been in hospital since being admitted for a check-up on May 31.