Thai seller of rubber duck calendar found guilty of royal defamation

A Thai seller of a rubber ducky calendar has been found guilty of royal defamation. The 26 year old man, “Tonmai”, was arrested on December 31, 2020, and charged with royal defamation. Now, he will serve two years in prison after being found guilty.

The Taling Chan Criminal Court ruled that the depiction of the rubber duck was a mockery of Thailand’s Head of State. According to Prachatai English, the rubber ducks first arrived at pro-democracy demonstrations back in 2020.

The yellow duck became a symbol of resistance after protesters used the giant inflatables to block water cannon blasts. Protesters nicknamed the yellow ducks “the navy.” The ducks were given pseudo-royal titles by protesters.

Police conducted a sting operation, posing as a potential buyer of the calendar on Facebook and asking for it to be delivered by a Grab driver. Officers then tracked the location…