SleepyEgg

In May 2006, Anthony Chai, a naturalized United States citizen from Thailand, took a flight back to the land of his birth to catch up with relatives and friends. He visited his nieces and nephews and spent some time at the resort town of Hua Hin.

But according to a new lawsuit, when Chai tried to return to California via Bangkok airport, he was stopped by a quintet of security agents. Employed by Thailand's Department of Special Investigation, they informed him that they had a warrant for his arrest for committing an act of lèse majesté—a public statement that supposedly violates the "dignity" of a ruler.

Thailand's version of the law, which was deployed against YouTube in 2007, seems (relatively) narrow at first glance. "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years," it stipulates, and punishes those found guilty of making these insults with long prison sentences. But human rights advocates say it is now used against anyone who utters a statement critical of the government.