US 'disappointed' by lese majeste charge
Mr Gordon, 54, was formally charged on Thursday after being arrested in May and detained for the maximum 84 days that a suspect can be held without charge.
Mr Gordon is a US citizen. Reports say he had lived in the state of Colorado for more than 30 years, before entering Thailand - and being arrested. US authorities have been in contact with him during his time in prison, but have refused to give personal information, including the circumstances of how he entered Thailand, such as the nationality of the passport he used.
US embassy spokeswoman Kristin Kneedler said Washington has urged Thai authorities to respect freedom of expression and was "disappointed" with the charges against Mr Gordon.
Mr Gordon, who was born in Thailand, denies all charges. He has been charged under Article 112 of the Criminal Code and under the Computer Crimes Act with:
- lese majeste;
- inciting unrest and disobedience of the law in public, and,
- disseminating computer data which threatens national security.
Prachatai.com, which has followed the case from its inception, says that the maximum penalty is 22 years in prison. It also quotes Mr Gordon as denying both the crimes and his nationality.
According to Prachatai.com, Mr Gordon told one its reporters by telephone from prison that authorites ``keep using my old Thai name. That's what they had on the warrant. And that's what they kept calling me. I told them, 'I don't use that name, anymore. I have not used that name in years. My name is Joe Gordon."
He denied he kept lese majeste material on his website, and denied he translated into Thai any portion of the banned book.
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