Thailand's strict lese majeste laws cause the nation "a lot of problems", a former Thai minister and career diplomat acknowledged yesterday (January 21), and pointed to increasing pressure to amend them--especially the parts that allow anyone to accuse others of insulting the monarchy.

Dr Tej Bunnag, also a former adviser to the Thai King's principal private secretary, defended the need for legislation protecting the royal family, and noted that under the law, the police and courts had to act on any accusation of lese majeste.

"There are always lese majeste cases before the Thai courts. It takes up a lot of people's time," he said. "It causes Thailand a lot of problems, we are fully aware of this."

The frank acknowledgement by a veteran diplomat who has headed Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry and served briefly as foreign minister last year, came at a public lecture at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies yesterday.

While Dr Tej's talk focused on King Bhumibol Adulyadej's contributions to Thailand's development, hot issues such as the lese majeste laws and the country's political turmoil dominated the question-and-answer session that followed.

The nation's harsh lese majeste laws came under the spotlight again recently when an Australian author was sentenced to three years' jail for insulting the monarchy and a Thai academic had to face charges over similar claims.

The author's family yesterday said they have appealed to King Bhumibol for a pardon.

The Thai authorities have also blocked thousands of websites for allegedly insulting the country's revered monarchy, drawing criticism from rights groups and media organisations, which say that the law could be abused by those who use it as a tool to harass their opponents.

"There is no question...of how revered the King is to Thai people, but to non-Thais, the severity of the laws is striking," said one participant at the forum.

Dr Tej replied that there were 'moves' to amend the laws but he did not elaborate.

But he also pointed out that Thailand's lese majeste laws were not unique. Countries like Singapore, he noted, had laws protecting people from slander.

"Certain institutions in certain countries are very sensitive," he said. "You cannot compare the members of the royal family of the United Kingdom with members of the royal family in Thailand."