Court rejects warrant for lese majeste claim
 The Nation
November 25 , 2005 - The Yasothon Provincial Court yesterday rejected a police request for an arrest warrant against Sondhi Limthongkul on charges of lese majeste, dismissing them as groundless.
Sondhi and his talk show co-host Sarocha Pornudomsak had referred to His Majesty the King and other members of the Royal Family during an episode of “Muang Thai Rai Sapda” (“Thailand Weekly”) and repeatedly compared them to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The court ruled that the references did not defame the Royal Family.
Sondhi and Sarocha, the court stated, only intended to criticise Thaksin.
Early this month, Lt-Colonel Samniang Luajiangkham, deputy commander of Yasothon’s Muang district police station, filed a lawsuit against Sondhi and Sarocha on grounds of lese majeste.
In his November 4 talk show, Sondhi blasted Thaksin over the premier’s decision to spend taxpayers’ money on a personal jet for his trips abroad. He pointed out that even His Majesty had no personal carrier.
Following the ruling, an attorney representing Sondhi and Sarocha said his clients would counter-sue investigators, accusing them of an abuse of power.
Meanwhile, Lt-General Montri Chamroon said an investigative committee had deemed that a police investigation into another alleged lese majeste offence by Sondhi had merit.
Montri, a Department of Special Investigation commissioner, added the panel was examining further evidence before wrapping up the case.
In a related development, a civil court yesterday rescinded its earlier decision to bar “Thaiday.Com”, a firm belonging to Sondhi’s family, from broadcasting or distributing VCDs of Sondhi’s fifth and seventh mobile talk shows.
Sondhi’s comments, which accused Thaksin of preparing to leave the country after his family members had offloaded a large number of shares on Thailand’s stock market, fell under freedom of the press rights, the court said.
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