Thailand, often referred to as "Land of the Free," a name which contrasts with its harsh reality, with its strict lèse-majesté laws and a relentless crackdown on freedom of expression. While citizens are theoretically granted the right to express their opinions, this freedom is limited when it comes to criticizing those in power. The country has strict laws that make it illegal to speak negatively about the monarchy. Citizens face severe penalties, including imprisonment, for merely voicing their opinions, expressing dissenting views or criticizing the monarchy.
According to the Thailand's Constitution of 2017, Chapter 2: The King, Section 6:"The King shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated. No person shall expose the King to any sort of accusation or action."
Lèse-majesté laws, particularly Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, criminalize any criticism of the monarchy, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison per offense.
Experts warned that the widespread use of lèse-majesté laws suppresses dissent, silences political opposition, and creates a chilling effect on free expression.
These laws have been widely condemned for their vague wording, which allows authorities broad discretion in prosecutions, leading to the detention of over 270 individuals since 2020, including activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. Adding to these concerns, there are several reports that indicate that persecution, arrests, and even forced disappearances took place without any form of documentation, and with severe secrecy:
According to the BBC, "Thailand is frequently criticised both for the very broad interpretations it allows of the lèse-majesté law, for the secrecy of the trials …. as well as the almost 100% conviction rate, and for the severity of the sentences.”
The following incident exemplifies the severe consequences of Thailand's lèse-majesté laws. Citizens were jailed for selling calendars and rubber ducks in royal regalia, which the authorities deemed defamatory:
The alarming trend of enforced disappearances in Thailand has raised serious concerns. According to Al-Jazeera, Three Thai activists, Chucheep Chiwasut, Siam Theerawut, and Kritsana Thapthai, who were accused of insulting the monarchy, disappeared after reportedly being arrested in Vietnam. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International raised the alarm, urging international attention on their matter. However, despite reports from the Thai Alliance for Human Rights, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister denied that the activists were in custody, intensifying concerns about their fate.
It is well known that involvement with the dissident Red Shirt movement has been particularly dangerous, often leading to severe reprisals.
According to a report from Sky News, two activists' bodies were discovered in northeast Thailand. Phu Chana (54) and Kasalong (47), missing since December 2018, were found with their hands and feet bound, faces disfigured, and their bodies stuffed with concrete. The pair had been seen with Surachai Danwattananusorn, a prominent anti-monarchist leader of the anti-military Red Shirt movement, in Laos.
The 2023 US Department of State report highlights concerns regarding the ongoing persecution of minorities, particularly the Muslim community, in southern Thailand. This community has expressed growing frustration with discriminatory treatment by security forces and an ineffective judicial system. Authorities continue to rely on emergency decrees and martial law in the deep south of the country, which grant military and police sweeping powers to limit fundamental rights, such as extending pretrial detention and warrantless searches.
The US Embassy & Consulate in Thailand condemned Thailand’s forced return of at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where they faced persecution, forced labor, and torture. This action violates Thailand’s obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture and contradicts its commitment to human rights.
The persecution extends beyond Muslim minorities to Christian communities as well. According to International Christian Concern, Vietnamese Montagnard Christians in Thailand continue to face harassment from both Thai and Vietnamese authorities.
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) in Thailand, despite its small size, faces significant persecution due to its controversial beliefs, proving that religious repression is not dictated by numbers but by the willingness of both the authorities and extremists to suppress dissenting faiths.
Overall, Muslims constitute 5-10% of Thailand’s population. A significant portion of Muslims in Thailand have a Malay background (18%) and access religious material in the Malay language. The majority of ethnic Malays in Thailand are Sunni Muslims and predominantly reside in the southernmost provinces where they form more than 70 percent of the population, near the border with Malaysia. This southern region of Thailand is one of the poorest in the country, and the population here often engages with Malaysian platforms, such as the “Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light” YouTube channel, to access religious content in their native language.
The persecution of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light community in Thailand, has gained significant attention due to influential religious figures, notably, Sayid Sulaiman Huseyni, a prominent scholar with strong government connections and opposition to the Red Shirt movement. Concerningly, the targeting of AROPL members appears to be instigated by religious figures loyal to the Iranian regime who have strong ties with Thai authorities. Sayid Sulaiman Huseyni's sermons addressing AROPL have reached a wide audience, with other religious groups following his lead.
Several Thai-language social media pages operated by religious scholars and groups oppose AROPL, including the fundamentalist "Anti-Shia" group with a strong Salafi/Wahhabi ideology. Their page has 11k followers, and they have continuously incited violence against members of the AROPL faith. This exposure, reaching an audience of over half a million people through platforms like The Anti-Shia page, has brought the AROPL community into sharp focus.
On the Anti-Shia Page, as soon as members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light began their missionary work, hate speech against them started spreading on social media. Their video has also garnered significant views (600k views), indicating widespread awareness of the presence of Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light members in Thailand.
Anti Shia Page stated:
" Breaking News!!.. The Black Banners Yamani group have come out about the New Mahdi In Front of Pattani Central Mosque when the brothers are praying Friday Prayer...... I would like to inform the Islamic Committee of this Province, the scholars and teachers, please protect our brothers and sisters."
Chiwit Ti Leaw U stated:
"Why are you still waiting, do it, how dare they, there is no need to go attack, go and (hit) them right away."
Phairut Wamaedeeza stated:
The Ahmadi Religion is spreading in many countries like Malaysia. which is a big organization and they have funding. This is very dangerous, the idea of the appearance of Imam Al-Mahdi in Europe. Please we call upon the scholars to quickly come out and speak about this, if not there will be a lot of the citizens that will believe in this like in other countries.
Safiai Madahu stated:
“We need to throw a bomb at them hahahaha.”
Many Muslim fundamentalist groups are led by the prominent Muslim Shia scholar Sayid Sulaiman Huseyni, who launched a smear campaign against the AROPL members, accusing them of being impure infidels. In his sermons and online presence on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, Huseyni called for extreme measures. He incited hatred and violence, urging his followers to use physical force and enforce a social boycott. Most alarmingly, Huseyni considers the persecution of AROPL members a religious obligation, claiming that the elimination of every adherent of the faith is a sacred duty.
Sayid Sulaiman Huseyni, known as the “Proof of Islam” in Thailand, directed this speech against the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light members, aired on the MahdiTV Thai Channel, titled "Special Scoop: The dangerous threats of those who claimed to be Sayyed Yamani."
Summarized translation of the Sermon:
In this video, the scholar instructs his followers to use physical violence against members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light - “If you encounter them, hit them with a wooden stick.”
He instigates murder of members of the religion - “It is a duty for everyone to fight members of the religion.”
He instigates hatred and violence against members of the religion - “The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light are the enemy of the religion.”
He forbids people to pray behind a member of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light and said whoever does so his prayer is invalid - “It is forbidden to do any religious activities together.”
He is imposing a social boycott, forbidding his congregation from having any contact with members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light - “Do not do any activities with them, such as sitting and laughing or eating together or else you will share the sins of this misguidance too.”
Sayid Sulaiman Huseyni ends the sermon by making a prayer that if members of the Ahmadi religion do not repent and leave the religion, then God should “eliminate them all.”
It is well known that Sayid Sulaiman Huseyni is also linked to the king. He has established links with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), commonly referred to as the "Yellow Shirts," a movement known for its support of the Thai monarchy.
Here are also further examples of threats from influential Muslim religious scholars in Thailand regarding Ahmadi members:
Abu Muhammad Tamnornnark, a Sheikh and student of religion in Iran who works with the Iranian and Thai governments, posted on his Facebook page:
“Right now I am gathering the pictures of any dog who serves the Jewish Yamani, if any brothers and sisters wants to see (them), inbox me, and I will send it to you.”
Religious followers in Thailand, particularly those associated with Shia scholar Sayid Sulaiman Huseyni, have used Facebook to incite violence against members of the AROPL.
Examples of Death Threats on Facebook
Summarized translation:
Saran Asmard with Alangkarn Yisen about the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light followers:
“If I shoot their head, just one of them, I am very sure we will not be in jail and let's show them that we are the most influential Shia sect in Thailand.”
Alangkarn Yisen:
“It is easy for me to do it (meaning shoot) but we need a fatwa (legal ruling) from Rabbat (referring to Khamenei) if he permits it.”
Saran Asmard:
“Yes it is correct because killing is a law from Allah SWT given to the Prophet (SAW) and the Shia Cleric can give fatwa (and) we will kill (them) with pleasure….”
Case studies of persecution
This Youtube video provides footage of the arrest of peaceful members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Thailand. On March 14, 2023, several members were detained by the police simply for peacefully expressing their beliefs in the street. This incident highlights the ongoing persecution faced by the religious community, despite their non-violent stance and right to freedom of expression.
The video also highlights the case of Mr. Somsak Jensen (min 3:55), a 47-year-old member of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light who has faced persecution in Thailand.
As described in the footage, in January 2023, a group of Shia men, followers of Sayid Sulaiman Huseyni, gathered outside Mr. Somsak’s home. When he opened the gate to see what they wanted, one of them suddenly rushed forward and struck him on the head with a stick, causing him to collapse to the ground. Even after his recovery, the attack left members of the faith in a state of constant fear.
Due to the escalating threats and security concerns, Mr. Somsak was forced to flee Thailand with his family and seek refuge in another country.
Meanwhile, police officers and national security forces have been actively searching for Mr. Somsak in connection with Section 112 of the Royal Defamation Law. This suggests that simply practicing the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is being perceived as a threat to the Thai monarchy.
Translation of Screenshot Message:
“My dear brother Idris,
How are you right now my brother?
In the house now we have a huge problem with the Police officer and the National Security, they came to the house and were asking and looking for you my brother right now. They are looking for you and they asked me that, Mr. Somsak Jehsen, who is your brother, where is he now? Because right now the official wanted your brother to go appear before the National Security in regards to the Royal King case section 112 and I denied them by saying I have had no contact whatsoever with you for almost a year now and I don't know where my brother is right now.
What happened my little brother? Please tell me, they said that your Religion has a negative impact on the Royal King of our country very much, what does that mean? I don't understand and right now I feel uncomfortable and my mother feels also uncomfortable right now.
What is best now, if you received this message of mine, please take care of yourself and take care of your health and take care your family and the most important thing is my little brother do not return back to the house at Phatthalung for whatsoever reason at all and also Satun Province, I heard that brother Adnan also have called me and asked what had happened with our little brother because the National Security have went (to him) and asked about you and told him to tell you to surrender yourself also.
Do not come back home at all and what has happened with your religion that you have believed until to the point that it reaches a negative result impact with the Royal King of our country?
Please respond back to me, I am very worried, May God protect my little brother.
Your Sister.”
International Documentation of AROPL persecution in Thailand
The following articles have documented the persecution of Thai members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light:
Massimo Introvigne’s research and material on religious freedom through the Bitter Winter online magazine has brought attention to Thai believer Hadee Laepankaeo's case. Hadee was forced to flee Thailand due to escalating threats and ongoing persecution. The case exemplifies the dangers typically faced by AROPL members in Thailand.
The article reported that human rights organizations and key human rights advocates and experts issued statements emphasizing that deporting AROPL refugees to countries where they face persecution or death violates the absolute and non-derogable principle of non-refoulement. This indicates that the UN experts recognize that there is a well-founded fear of persecution in the countries of origin of the AROPL refugees including Thailand. These experts strongly condemned any forced return of AROPL members, urging governments to uphold international human rights obligations.
It is clear that the situation for members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Thailand remains perilous, consisting of a hostile environment for AROPL adherents. The case of individuals like Mr. Somsak Jensen, who were forced to flee Thailand due to escalating threats, exemplifies the dangers faced by AROPL members. They face threats of violence, arrests, and persecution from both state authorities and extremist groups, with little to no protection for their religious freedom and personal safety.
The ongoing persecution of AROPL members serves as a severe indictment of Thailand's commitment to human rights and religious freedom, revealing a society where individuals face severe penalties for merely expressing their beliefs. The country's oppressive legal framework, particularly its lèse-majesté laws, violates fundamental human rights principles, making a mockery of Thailand's self-proclaimed status as a "Land of the Free" and exposing the government's contempt for its own citizens.
May Allah protect them ALLAHU AKBAR
ความผิดที่เกี่ยวกับศาสนา ที่นี่ทางการไม่สนใจ
แต่หากมีผลกระทบกับผลประโยชน์ มักจะถูกฆาตกรรมเงียบๆไร้ถูกฆาตกรรมเงียบๆไร้หลักฐาน
หากเป็นข้อหาเกี่ยวกับความมั่นคงของประเทศหรือของกษัตริย์ มักจะถูกฆาตกรรมโดยการอุ้มฆ่าและหาศพไม่พบ..
เช่นทนายสมชาย นีละไพจิตร,เช่นทนง โพธิ์อ่าน..ฯลฯ
The term “Thailand, the land of freedom” is just a lie.
Thailand, the name of the country that when split it Thai (Free) and Land is Land so it should be the Land of Free, but yet from what we see that there is no freedom im this country and our brothers and sisters are facing persecution from the Religious figure and the Government.
Do not worry my brothers and sisters in faith the Qaim A.S is with us we will be victorious, inshallah!