Photo shows Thai man arrested for insulting the king's dog, not Buddhism

"In Thailand, an individual who insults Buddhism will be sentenced for life," reads the Sinhala-language caption of a photo shared on Facebook here on June 1, 2023.

The caption goes on to say the punishment is also severe for anyone who insults Buddhism in writing, including on social media platforms like Facebook.

It continues: "Christian pastor En Lai insulted Buddha in six Facebook comments in 2015 and the Supreme Court sentenced him to 60 years imprisonment, 10 years per comment."

The photo shows a handcuffed man in a purple polo shirt being escorted away from a building by a man wearing a uniform.

Image

Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on June 26, 2023.

The same photo and claim has circulated in the Buddhist-majority country since at least 2017 in Facebook posts here and here.

The claim resurfaced in posts here and here, after local comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya was arrested for making comments during her stand-up routine that were deemed insulting to Buddhism (archived link).

Sri Lankan authorities are known to take strict action against perceived insults to Buddhism, often using a law modelled after an international human rights treaty that promotes freedom of thought and religion (archived link).

Edirisooriya remains in custody as of June 22, local media reported (archived link).

Comments on the false Facebook post suggest some users had been misled.

"That is why those countries develop. Instead, in our country we allow every insult against Buddhism," read one comment.

Another said: "Excellent. This is the kind of law that needs to be implemented in Sri Lanka."

But the photo in fact shows a man being taken into custody for insulting the Thai king's dog -- not for insulting Buddhism.

Insulting the royal pet

A reverse image search on Google led to an article published by the Reuters news agency on December 16, 2015 titled "Freedom of speech reaches 'new-low' in junta-ruled Thailand" (archived link).

The article includes the same photo that has circulated alongside false claims on Facebook.

It is captioned, "Thanakorn Siripaiboon is escorted by police outside military court in Bangkok December 14, 2015. REUTERS/Dailynews".

Below is a screenshot comparison between the image as it was used in the false post (left) and the photo that was published alongside the news article (right):

Image

Screenshot comparison between the image as it was used in the false post (left) and the photo that was published alongside the news article (right).

The article reads in part: "On Monday, it emerged that a factory worker was charged with sedition and mocking King Bhumibol Adulyadej's dog. If found guilty, he faces decades in prison."

Bhumibol is the country's late king who died in 2016.

A separate AFP report from December 15, 2015 says 27-year-old Thanakorn Siripaiboon was arrested under a draconian royal defamation law for allegedly making a satirical online post about the Thai king and his favourite dog. The king's 17-year-old dog died soon after the charges were brought against Thanakorn.

Thanakorn also faced lese majeste, sedition and computer crimes charges for clicking "like" on a doctored photo of the king and sharing it, plus an infographic on a corruption scandal engulfing the military.

The royal defamation law, one of the world's harshest, shields the Thai monarchy from debate and criticism. Anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent can face up to 15 years in jail on each count.

Thanakorn could have been jailed for up to 37 years, but local media reported the case against him was dismissed in 2021 (archived link).

Defaming or insulting Buddhism and Buddhist clergy is also specifically prohibited by Thai law (archived link).

"Violators may face up to one year's imprisonment, fines of up to 20,000 baht, or both," reads the US state department's 2022 report on religious freedom in Thailand.

It adds that penalties for insulting or disturbing religious places or services, of all recognised religious groups, range from one to seven years' imprisonment, a fine of 20,000 to 140,000 baht, or both.