RIGHT OR WRONG, THE LAW EXISTS

I can't really let this week go by without commenting on the case of Australian author Harry Nicolaides being jailed for three years for the crime of lèse majesté, which is basically insulting the monarchy.
Anyone that works in publishing in Thailand knows both what is permitted by law and also culturally acceptable. That law exists regardless of your opinions of whether that law is right or wrong. Harry has been reported as saying he was unaware of the law.
I've really struggled to find a report about this case in the overseas media that could be described as balanced. All seem slanted against Thailand's laws, and some could easily fall under those exact same laws under which Harry was found guilty. Some directly contravene the judge's order that what Harry wrote should not be repeated. Thailand's web sensors now have a whole new plethora of websites to investigate.
Knowing what I do about the laws and this case, there's a very real possibility that current print editions of some of the global and regional news magazines will face some kind of restrictions. The Economist, for example, has a story that could easily be deemed unacceptable. That's just my impression; it's too early to know if anything will happen.

Note: Dissemination of possible lèse majesté stories is one area that Thailand's web sensors have deemed to be a factor in their censorship decisions. I don't really want to get into trouble, hence the fact I have not linked to anything in this post.