Swiss convicted of lese majeste, faces Thai jail

A Swiss man facing 75 years in a Thai jail for defacing images of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej was convicted yesterday on charges of lese majeste and damaging property.

Oliver Rudolf Jufer, 57, reversed his earlier plea and pleaded guilty to five acts of lese majeste at a hearing held behind closed doors to minimise the disrespect to King Bhumibol, whom many Thais regard as semi-divine. Sentencing was set for March 29.

Jufer was arrested in December in the northern city of Chiang Mai after black paint was sprayed on several portraits of the 79-year-old king, the world's longest reigning monarch who marked 60 years on the throne last June.