Man is jailed for 30 years and mother of two young girls gets 28 years after insulting the Thai monarchy on Facebook
Pongsak Sriboonpeng had his 60 year sentenced halved for pleading guilty
Mother-of-two from northern Chiang Mai province admitted wrongdoing too
Thailand has one of the harshest laws on insulting the country's monarchy
King Bhumibol, 87, is revered by the Thai people as a unifier of the country
By Jay Akbar For Mailonline
Published: 11:46 EST, 7 August 2015 | Updated: 13:39 EST, 7 August 2015
Thailand's military courts have have issued two long jail sentences to two people who insulted the country's monarchy on Facebook.
Pongsak Sriboonpeng was sentenced to 60 years - 10 for each message - but his prison term was halved after he admitted to wrongdoing, according to watchdog group iLaw.
A mother-of-two from the northern Chiang Mai province also pleaded guilty to posting offensive comments and had her sentenced to 28 years.
The exact details of what they said - or who they sent the messages to - has not been disclosed.
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Thailand's lese majeste law - which is the committing an offence against a reigning sovereign - is considered to be one of the harshest in the world.
Those accused of defaming, insulting or threatening the monarchy face prison terms ranging from three to 15 years on each count.
Sriboopeng's trial was conducted behind closed door because 'what he wrote was beyond rude', Bangkok Military Court's chief judge said.
Major General Panomthep Wesaratchanun added that 'even the prosecutor did not want to read them out loud'.
Thailand's citizens supposedly revere King Bhumibol Adulayadejl, 87, as a moral authority who stepped in repeatedly over the years to unify the country - despite not having a formal political role.
The king has recently stepped back from public engagements due to ill health.
The military junta that took power after last year's coup declared protection of the monarchy a priority.
An increase in lese majeste cases under recent civilian governments accelerated with last year's coup and the cases have been handled by military courts instead of civilian ones.
Many recent cases have involved content posted on social media.
On Thursday, a military court in Chiang Rai province sentenced a man to five years - halved from 10 - to tearing up a portrait of King Bhumibol.
His lawyer had asked for leniency on the grounds that his client suffered from mental illness.
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