Thailand activist's mother arrested for failing to condemn royal insults on Facebook

Student activist Sirawith Seritiwat is detained by the police while demonstrating alone against a military-backed draft constitution in Bangkok on May 1. PHOTO: REUTERS.

BANGKOK: The Thai police have arrested a leading activist's mother for failing to condemn Facebook messages that criticised the monarchy, her legal team said on Saturday, in a move a rights group described as an "outrageous twist" of the kingdom's royal insult law.

Prosecutions under Thailand's royal defamation law - known as lese majeste - have surged since the generals seized power two years ago. The boundaries for what counts as an insult have also expanded dramatically, with the authorities making arrests over even vague references to the royal family.