The Thai Senate announced on January 23 that it formed a committee that will monitor violations of lèse majesté and other related laws that protect the kingdom's monarchy, media reports said.

The "Bangkok Post" reported on January 24 that the Senate voted to establish an "extraordinary committee" to strictly enforce laws related to the protection of the Thai king and the royal family.

The newspaper said the senate voted 90 to 17 in putting up this extraordinary panel which Thai sources explained is meant to monitor enforcement of laws like lèse majesté.

To be composed of 30 members, that is, 19 senators and 11 other officials, the committee will be headed by Thai national police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan.

This development came as the Justice Ministry reported last week that over 10,000 websites contain messages insulting to the monarchy. According to the Information and Communication Ministry (ICT), 2,000 such websites have already been blocked.

Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga said he would coordinate with the Foreign Ministry to instruct Thai embassies abroad to launch public relations campaign about lèse majesté.

Lèse majesté is a criminal offence in Thailand, and usually carries a 15-year prison term.

In a related development, this week's edition of "The Economist" magazine has not been distributed in Thailand due to objections to an article about a lèse majesté case involving a foreign author.

According to the "Bangkok Post", the article was about the recent conviction and sentencing of Australian author Harry Nicolaides to three years in jail for insulting the crown prince in his novel published in 2005.

In an email sent to its subscribers in Thailand, the magazine said, "This week our distributors in Thailand have decided not to deliver 'The Economist' in light of our coverage relating to the Thai monarchy."