A Queen Lookalike Fled Thailand of Lese-Majeste

“Mam Dew” or Kittikoon Thammakitirad and his friend Tawn Sangsawang have been accused of lese-majeste, and now are seeking asylum in Germany.

Mum Dew has been accused of trying to dress like the Queen Mother, Sirikit, wife of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He also appeared in an advertisement deemed to be defaming the monarchy alongside two other Internet idols in Thailand. Mum Dew was schedule to appear in the court on July 24, but decided to flee Thailand earlier this month.

His friend, Tawn, is also accused of lese-majeste for being behind creative work of Mum Dew. Both set up a Facebook page, Mum Dew Diary which, they claimed promoted tourism and Thai silk, even when it was obvious that Mum Dew had wanted to “look alike” Queen Sirikit.

After arriving in Germany, Mum Dew informed the Thai media that he and Tawn indeed sought refuge in Germany. They also thanked a group of red shirts in Germany for helping with the refugee application and thanked Pavin Chachavalpongpun, founder of 112WATCH, for writing a recommendation letter to support their application.

It is a crime in Thailand for impersonating members of the royal family. If convicted, both could be imprisoned between 3-15 years. It is unlikely that Mum Dew and Tawn will be returning home anytime soon.

See more: https://www.facebook.com/momdewdiary