Thai king pardons US car salesman over royal insult

An American car salesman who was jailed after insulting the King of Thailand has been granted a royal pardon.

Thai-born US citizen Joe Gordon in December 2011 

Jo Wichai Commart Gordon, 55, who was born in Thailand but is an American citizen, was serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence in Bangkok after translating excerpts of a forbidden text – a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej – into Thai while living in the United States.

The maximum sentence for slurs against the Thai monarchy is up to 15 years imprisonment, the harshest punishment for the offence in the world.

Mr Gordon, who was jailed in May last year, was given the pardon on Tuesday following months of US protests claiming he had a right to free speech.

After his release he was taken to the US embassy. No reason was given for the pardon.

"We are pleased that US citizen Joe Gordon was granted a royal pardon which allows him to be released from prison," an official for the US embassy said.

"We urge Thai authorities on a regular basis both privately and publicly to ensure that freedom of expression is protected in accordance with international obligations."

The royal pardon comes just a few days before Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, is due to meet with Yingluck Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, for talks in Cambodia.

During the meeting they are expected to discuss plans for a $3.8bn hydroelectric dam in the Mekong region, a contract awarded to a Thai company.

Mr Gordon, who had lived in the US for 30 years, was one of four prisoners who have sought royal pardons, but so far only his case has been approved.

The case has raised questions about the applicability of Thai law to acts committed by foreigners outside the country.

Thai prince who loves cream tea spends £10,000 in Hampshire antiques shop

A Hampshire antique dealer had a surprise visit from the crown prince of Thailand and his 30-strong entourage when they swooped on his rural shop and spent more than £10,000 in a four-hour visit.

Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the heir apparent and only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, also requested a cream tea when called in at Jerry Mahoney's White Lions Antique Centre in Hartley Wintney.

Mr Mahoney, 52, closed the centre to the public while the prince and his wife, Princess Consort Srirasmi browsed the exhibits before buying 300 items of bone china.

The prince and his staff had flown into nearby Farnborough in a private 737 jet on June 20 for a holiday in the UK and had chosen the shop because it also served his favourite scones, strawberry jam and cream teas.

Mahoney said: " It was a great honour to have him visit us. You would have expected him to call in somewhere in London so it was a bit of a pleasant surprise.

"It is a massive thing to have someone from a royal family visit a little provincial shop like ours. They seemed very pleased with what they bought."

The Crown Prince, 59, has a reputation for living a playboy lifestyle. He was at the centre of a scandal in 2009 when an Australian TV channel obtained a copy of a dvd of a lavish birthday party he had thrown for his miniature poodle Foo Foo, at which Princess Srirasmi appeared wearing little more than a G-string.

US diplomatic cables released last year revealed senior Thai officials to have expressed misgivings about the suitability of the prince as a successor to his father.

General Prem Tinsulanonda, the head of the privy council, and council members Anand Panyarachun and Air Chief Marshal Siddhi Savetsila told the US Ambassador that they wished "other arrangements could be made".

THAI to launch regional budget carrier in 2013

BANGKOK: -- National carrier Thai Airways is working on plans with its sister budget airline Nok Air to launch a new low-cost airline by the middle of next year, with a focus on the regional market.

Chokchai Panyayong, acting president of Thai Airways International Plc (THAI), said yesterday that Nok Air has hired a consultant to conduct a feasibility study for the airline's launch, with the findings expected to be finalised by the end of this month. After this, discussion over possible business directions between the two firms will kick off.

Chokchai is also THAI's executive vice president for strategy and business development.

Under the plan, THAI would form a joint venture with Nok Air with registered capital of Bt200 million. THAI would hold a majority stake in the company.

The name of the new airline has not been finalised, but it will avoid the word 'Thai' to give it a more international image, especially within Asean. The routes will cover other countries in the region, not only Thailand.

Once up and running, it will be the third airline operated by THAI in addition to flagship carrier Thai Airways. THAI Smile will be launched officially this Saturday with its first flight to Macau from Suvarnabhumi Airport. THAI also holds a 49-per-cent stake in Nok Air.

Having a low-cost regional airline is expected to strengthen THAI's market position by capturing passengers in every segment ahead of the implementation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.

The launch of the new airline brands follows a business model pioneered by Singapore Airlines Limited, which operates the city-state's flagship carrier, plus Silk Air and two low-cost airlines - Scoot and Tiger Airways. Scoot focuses on medium and long-haul destinations, while Tiger flies to regional destinations.

THAI's new airline will adopt a pricing strategy to compete head-on with AirAsia, Chokchai said, adding that the launch would directly benefit consumers by giving them more choice. He was confident there was room for growth in the market, despite the rising number of low-cost airlines. In Asia, this market is still small compared to Europe and the US, where it has been established for a long time, he said. Passengers flying low-cost airlines make up 35-36 per cent of the total air-travel market.

A source in the aviation industry, who declined to be named, was concerned about the plan for a new THAI-operated carrier, saying it could lead to overlapping destinations for THAI and its subsidiaries.

Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, welcomed the move and said the market was big enough for new players, pointing out that Asean's 600-million-strong population would be combined into a single market in 2015 under the AEC.

"Success in the market will depend on ability,'' he said, adding that he was confident that AirAsia's strong brand and practical marketing strategy would allow it to keep its market share. Currently, the firm depends on head-on price competition with other players to protect its business.

THAI is struggling to emerge from a period of heavy losses. Last year, the firm posted a Bt10-billion loss. While it expects to earn Bt6 billion in net profit this year, and posted first-quarter net profit of Bt3.6 billion, it expects to see losses in the second and third quarters. In the first five months of this year, net profit missed its target of 50 per cent growth.