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Swiss man faces prison for lese majeste

CHIANG MAI A Swiss man faces up to 75 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to charges of insulting Thailand's king, a serious offence in a nation where the monarch is revered.

Oliver Jufer, 57, was arrested on December 5 for defacing several of the king's ubiquitous portraits with spray paint during a drunken spree through the northern city of Chiang Mai, 700 kilometres (400 miles) north of Bangkok.

He was charged with five counts of lese majeste - the crime of offending the dignity of a sovereign as well as lesser charges of destruction of public property.

If convicted he faces up to 75 years in prison, according to police, 15 for each of the counts of lese majeste.

"He pleaded guilty, and the court set a date for the verdict on March 29," one court official said.

Agence France-Presse

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