US envoy probed for royal criticism

The US ambassador to Thailand is under investigation for royal defamation over comments he made criticizing lengthy jail sentences from the kingdom's lese majeste law, police said on Wednesday.

Under Thai law, anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent can face up to 15 years in jail on each count.

Prosecutions have surged since the royalist army grabbed power last year, with record breaking sentences handed down in recent months to transgressors.