The British satirist lampooned the “happiness campaign” launched by General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the military regime's leader, to make Thais feel better about the junta’s crackdown on human rights and freedom of speech. Oliver also described Thailand’s crown prince as “buffoonish” and “an idiot.”

While discussing Thailand's draconian lèse majestè law, which punishes anyone mocking the royal family with three to 15 years in jail, Oliver showed a brief clip from leaked footage of a birthday party beside a swimming pool featuring the crown prince and his wife, who is shown topless. In the footage, the royal couple blow out candles on the birthday cake with their pet poodle Foo Foo, who holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force. The crown prince’s wife is later seen lying on the floor at her husband’s feet, posing with a piece of cake.

“And you’re telling me they’re not supposed to make fun of that?” Oliver asked. “That’s entrapment!”

The absurdity doesn't end there — others named as threats to the stability of the Thai state included Chatwadee “Rose” Amornpat, a 34-year-old Thai woman working as a hairdresser in London who has criticized the monarchy on social media, and Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a well known pro-democracy Thai professor based in Kyoto. Pavin has publicly rejected the junta’s demand that he return to Thailand for “attitude adjustment” in military detention, jokingly offering in a Facebook post to send his pet chihuahua instead.

General Prayuth’s recent happiness campaign involved screening World Cup soccer matches for free on television and throwing street parties where Thais are entertained by scantily-clad dancers and military bands. A patriotic song called “Returning Happiness to the People” — with lyrics allegedly written by the general himself — is played incessantly on television, and singing it daily is compulsory for schoolchildren and army conscripts.

The junta has outlawed criticism of its actions. Street protests are banned, as is any political gathering of more than five people. Pro-democracy students mocked these oppressive edicts by holding picnics at which activists sat in small groups eating sandwiches and reading copies of 1984, George Orwell’s famous novel about a totalitarian dystopia. The junta’s reaction was to announce that anyone eating a sandwich “with political intent” faced arrest.

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote:I had to google that topless Thai wife birthday party video:


Weird as hell.