Bangkok (AP) — A military court on Thursday delayed a decision on whether to prosecute a prominent historian and social critic who suggested that a famed duel on elephant-back won by a Thai king against a Burmese prince 500 years ago may not actually have happened.
The 84-year-old Sulak Sivaraksa was charged by police last October under the country’s lese majeste law that protects the monarchy from libel and defamation.
The military court on Thursday agreed with Sulak’s request to hear views from experts and historians and set a new hearing for Jan. 17.
Sulak told reporters outside the court that “to live in this country you must have a sense of humor because my case is nonsensical.” He said it would be impossible for Thais to learn history if commenting on King Naraesuan, who led the famous 1593 battle that is celebrated as a national holiday, is considered illegal.
The case stems from remarks Sulak made in 2014 when he urged a university seminar to think critically about Thai history.
British writer and historian Chris Baker said there are at least 10 different accounts of the elephant battle told in Thai, Burmese and French.
“There is no definitive account. There are various different accounts and historians accept that perhaps we don’t actually know what happened,” Baker said. “There are just many different stories told about an event that seems to have been very exciting.”
