My meeting with Harry Nicolaides early this year was by complete chance.Harry had written an article which was published in 'The Australian' newspaper. In the article he wrote about his father’s journey to Australia from Cyprus, in 1951. I emailed Harry, as my father had also migrated to Australia that same year. After a series of emails it was established that, Harry’s father and my father both migrated to Australia aboard the same ship.
Our emails progressed to friendly telephone conversation. One evening I had a phone call from Harry’s father, Takis. Harry had told his father of our conversations and Takis was jubilant, wanting to have a re-union with my father. Sadly I informed Takis that my father had only recently passed away. Harry’s mother, Despina, insisted that I visit their home with my mother. That week-end my mother and I happily visited Harry’s family.
While our parents looked at photos and reminisced about their life in Cyprus and early days in Australia, Harry showed me some of his other work that he had published. Harry also told me that he was leaving Australia to follow his heart. He had a girlfriend in Thailand, where Harry had previously worked. His girlfriend did not want to come to Australia to live because she had a good academic position at a University. So Harry was returning to Thailand to also work at the same University. Prior to Harry leaving Australia, I emailed him wishing him a safe journey and a happy and prosperous future.
Now to my absolute horror, I have become aware that Harry was arrested on the 31st August, as he tried to board a plane for a visit home. Unbeknown to Harry, a warrant for his arrest had secretly been issued in March. He is currently being held at the Bangkok Remand Centre and he is being refused bail.
Harry has been charged with with lèse-majesté, the crime of defaming the monarchy. In 2005 he published a novel entitled Verisimilitude. In one paragraph Harry writes about the romantic entanglements and indiscretions of a fictitious Crown Prince, which have then been interpreted to be reference to the reigning Crown Prince. Thai law strictly prohibits criticism of the royal family or non-orthodox writings on a number of other subjects such as Buddhism. If convicted Harry faces up to 15 years jail sentence.
Harry is not a trouble maker. He is a well-mannered, decent, quietly spoken and family orientated individual. His love of writing has unintentionally led him to be immersed into some seriously deep, diabolical, legal shit. Harry is not a spiteful critic of the Thai people or culture, but an absolute lover of Thailand. There has been an unconscious mistake made by both Harry and the Thai government. Today I plan to write to the Thai Consulate to plead for leniency in hope that they may drop the charges.
Free Harry Nicolaides.
(Click to view an update of this post)
37 comments:
Ardent,
I hope your friend is released. His book sounds very interesting (I looked at the link), and I would love to read it eventually.
Dear Ardent. it is really sad what happen to Harry and hope australian goverment can do something about it. People shouldn't be jail because of their thoughts or writings,as we do face many times in Turkey.
Good day!
I hope he is released forthwith. If you do not mind I will put up a post on the Poor Mouth. That he faces prison is an utter disgrace.
I've added you to my blogroll. I should have done so ages ago!
Before this, only 50 copies of his book were printed, and only a few were sold...
Once he's released, he should write a new book... maybe call it 'The King and I.'
Why is more pressure not being applied by human rights groups, as well as the U.N., and the Pope in this case?
Thai royal family is a disgrace, still living in the past and refuses to join the present, like some other monarchies have done and survived...
Thanks Sincerae, I too hope that he is released soon.
Derya, Harry's situation is not getting a lot of media attention as I would have liked, which is not helpful. Constant media attention would put more pressure of the Thai authorities.
Jams, thanks for your support. I have also updated my blogroll. An ensuing step since I visit most days:)
Metin, hopefully our government will exert some pressure. I am hoping that the prince may pardon him.
Awkwerd situation!
I get tired of all these censor ships around the globe.
Hope they will release your friend soon.
kindest
hans
Thank you Hans.
:)
Yes, Matthew McDaniel, www.akha.org, friend of Harry's, what is the latest information on his situation, how can we contact family?
Matthew
Matthew, Harry's Barrister has made a third application for bail, as the first two were rejected. With each bail application they need to provide further 'new' evidence to support the application.
His parents are understandably upset. I cannot provide details of family contacts due to privacy laws.
Thank you for your concern though.
It's a disgrace!
Shame on the king of Thailand for first saying that he should not be "beyond criticism", and then keeping quiet when those who criticise him are arrested.
Shame on Thailand too!
A few of us have been following the situation Harry finds himself in. Among the comments there has been an assertion that the book does not in fact exist.
Is there anyone who has seen a copy?
http://bohemians.blog.co.uk/2008/09/03/verisimilitude-or-lese-majeste-4678639
Ardent, thank you for the article on Harry. The book makes no reference to any specific 'Crown prince' so I'm not sure how you draw the inference to the name in your commentary. The book is a novel and could be described as fictional. I'm sure that Harry would not wish to critisize the Thai laws and the Thai Monarchy in the way some of the comments on this site have. It does not help his case. What will help is pressure on the Australian embassy to speed up an outcome.
Stoplesemajeste,
The West is not so different. Try saying something negative about the American president in the media. Just ask the Dixie Chicks, their career went rock bottom after making a negative comment about their President. Also Journalists who report from War Zone have their reports censored before being published, so as not to offend any Western government. Then you may want to look at Eastern countries and read stories about people like Alexander Litvinenko and Viktor Yushchenko.
I have been to Thailand and it is an absolutely beautiful and inviting country. The people are incredibly friendly and helpful. But one must respect the laws of each country.
So we need to take a good look into our own backyard before making negative assertions about another country.
Technomist, I wish the book did not exist.
Anonymous, I completely respect your views and thank you for your comment.
I have seen Harry on a few occassions where time permits. I work in Bangkok and you have NO idea what he is going through. I have written to numerous people in Australia, including the top brass, and have managed to get on to Hinch, speak to A Current Affair and Today Tonight.
I do all this precariously due to the nature of the crime (here at least), and even writing this, I put myself at risk.
However, if I was him, stuck in a cell with 90 others, sharing a hole in the ground for bowel movements, wearing a face mask to try and ignore the stench, observant to regular be'atings and unable to eat the 'food, I too would want my case put forward.
To those that know and care about Harry, rest assured that from this end I am doing all that I can to make the Australian authorities aware of the indignity and inhumanitarianess of it all.
To: Ardent
No-one is sent to prison in the US for criticising the president. But in Thailand, anyone can be sent to prison for up to 15 years for "insulting" the Thai king.
I say "insulting" because even mentioning the king can sometimes be considered lese majeste and can land you a hefty jail sentence.
You go ahead close your eyes and "respect" Thailand's anti-democratic lese majeste law, I'll continue defending the rights of Thai activists like Da Torpedo and Australian Harry Nicolaides, who are both currently in prison for no reason whatsoever.
Meanwhile, the Thailand's extremely rich king invites people to criticise him, then keeps quiet when they are arrested by Thai police for lese majeste.
To: Anonymous,
Please let me know if I can help you or Harry in any way. Whatever it takes to free Harry.
What a shame for the world. Why hasnt his story been more widely broadcast. This isn't a story of drug dealing. this is a simple story about the most brutal form of censorship possible.. the incarceration of the author. It was a novel, for god's sake.. a piece of fiction. Forget writing embassies, I know by personal experience, embassies are there to give lip service, do as little help as possible and provide employment to the sons and daughters of rich kids. Embassies do work upon a contract basis only and then under hidden pressures.
Better to try the news media. BBC, and the Australia branches of the major media. Perhaps you can update your story with the latest news?
Nomad, this story did receive media attention in Australia and a little in Cyprus and Greece. Unfortunately to no avail. I will keep you up to date when I hear of some progress.
Strangely, there are some people who believe the whole thing is some kind of hoax.
http://bohemians.blog.co.uk/2008/09/03/verisimilitude-or-lese-majeste-4678639#comments
Then there are the ones that say,"You have abide by the laws of the country you want to live in." Actually I had something similar, (not nearly that dreadful by a long shot) and you come to find out almost immediately that in many countries in the world, maybe in all, there are no laws, and when it says, in black and white, officials can very easily something like,"In theory, that is correct." In my case, I tried to follow the law under the advice of a lawyer, only to learn that the lawyer had no done the work he had promised and this led to a humiliating deportation on the charge of working illegally. In fact, I was partner in a company. I was given 5 days to leave, this being a national holiday the time was, in effect much shorter. It is a long and tiresome story. But you can imagine my reaction when I hear dimwits says trite and oversimplified comments about abiding.. etc etc.
A public apology to the royal family and a simple 1 to 5 year ban. Enough. Incarceration? It is a shame to Thailand for this situation to continue.
Nomad, I also have read that some people are saying it is a publicity stunt. Absolutely ridiculous. Nobody wants to endure years of humiliating and demeaning captivity for the sake of publicity.
Like your story there is so much corruption in many countries that it is very difficult for legitimate and honest people to truly understand the laws.
I am appalled by this totalitarian response of the Thai government. People must contact the Thai government and urge them to free Harry. You can e-mail the Thai government and send them letters. I would endorse the boycott of all things Thai. I am starting my own mini movement by talking to everyone I meet. We must take action. We must speak up against injustice. If you care about liberty and justice then you need to act!
I have tried to get the book and if I do I would make sure that everyone I know reads it. We must not let Harry's family take on this fight alone
Joanne from Boston
Ardent, just a note to say that Reporters Without Borders have called for Harry's release. There is a small piece in The Australian.
It is the last piece on this page:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24764941-25090,00.html
Thanks for the link, Oz Kanka. Harry has been getting a bit of publicity lately but nothing positive.
Today in the Australian our Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith said, "(This is an) illustration of the fact that when you go to another country, if you fall foul of their judicial legal processes there are limits to what Australia can do on your behalf."
It makes me feel ill that our government is taking that dismissive approach, surely there must be something that can be done.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24772025-2702,00.html
I was going to greatly expand our investment in Thailand this month, hiring dozens more staff and spending many millions of baht.
Today I learned the plight of Harry Nicolaides a fellow Melbourne man.
What an ABSOLUTE DISGRACE this King has become, a sad and stupid little man he must be if he tortures Australians for saying minor negatives about him or his relatives.
King I had become convince by Thai's that you were a good man, but now I think tha MUST be a lie!
And what does this torture and imprisonment say about Buddhism.
What a of a JOKE/LOSER of a king you must be if you don't FREE this man NOW!
Signed,
I thought till yesterday the king and Thailand and Buddhism were great, am I wrong?
In our country it was on the daily news...It broke my heart to see a man so broken. I wish him all the best and his family to...(Sorry for my bad english)
Please sign the petition at www.HarryNicolaides.com
I found a copy of Harry Nicolaides book at http://www.akha.org/content/bookreviews/verisimilitude.html
there is a link at the top of the page that opens a pdf version of the book that has been scanned in with a stamp "National Library of Thailand"
Mr Ungpakorn is facing similar charges for writing a book called "A Coup for the Rich - Thailand's political crisis". He has been summoned to Pathumwan police station for questioning today at 10.00 am on Tuesday 20th January 2009
i would like to add that the king is not above the law and therefore he can not control the judges. not to mention that the law wasn't drafted by the king, the royal family or the palace.
all countries that have a monarchy have a lese majeste law, including the UK.
You dont even have to be in the U.S. for the U.S. to torture and jail you indefinitely. All you need to do is be a Muslim minding your own business in your own home and living in a country with a handful of international criminals.
While I sympathatise with his current harsh situation, I believe he needs to respect the country he lives in or stay home.
It is my heart felt wish that this man obtains pardon and is returned to his family. He should suffer no more.
His heart has no malice and no insult. It would be a sincere gesture of compassion, and a form of justice to set him free.
Thank you Anonymous for the verse, obviously your roots are that of a drunkerd who spends every evening in a pub and only feels happy when he's had a few too many, goes home and beats the missus up.
A clean copy of the banned book Versimilitude as a 2.6 meg free download is at the link below. Other sites have a 6.4meg download that is sideways and is scanned with the book too small.
Once you read the tiny paragraph this man wrote (pg 65 of PDF) you will be even more outraged...
www.tinyurl.com/thai-persecution
If you want to know the bigger truths about the Thai monarchy buy The King Never Smiles by Oxford Press. Thailand could NOT intimidate them from telling the truth! www.amazon.com/dp/0300106823
sorry... NOT available in Thailand)
Liberdade para Harry Nicolaides .
Please free Harry Nicolaides .
Amilcar A.
Portugal
What if the royal didn't really (able) to do anything? It's very possible that the one who behind the curtain is people who have such the unreasonable faith on monarchy or people who use faith to control the power and want to preserve it? The one can't have the power in oneself but by the support from many other ones. Thailand had a deep root on Semi-Bhramic-Buddism which driven by the faith. Monarchy indeed do many good things for people from long time ago and that might be the reason for some people to keep someone to be praise in order to drive the whole nation. Royal live on such a (quite) corrupted government... I indeed feel sad. Imagine that you are the person who praise by a lot of people, they follow you everywhere, demand you to use the power which you may not have... this is literally a "Monarchic Prison". Many bad people use people's faith to come above the laws. The worst is that they just refer royal's name and do really absurd activities which violate the freedom.
Harry is not so wrong until someone want to bash him. Royal may know the freedom of speech but the Lese-Majeste still there and they can't really do anything about it unless people and government really want it and amend that law. The faith still have more power and Thailand still need it for now. If government didn't that corrupt and people didn't have too much of praising... Thailand may not be in this situation.
Harry should be released but due to the law that can't help and he awared of this.
Whatever the truths they are... nobody perfect... if they use such an imperfect factor to bash people. Everyone sure will be bashed.
This man's continued imprisonment for writing two or three lines of FICTION is an outrage!
There is a petition you can sign at:
www.harrynicolaides.com
Here's hoping he's freed posthaste.
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