- Stewart leads Liberty past Lynx to level WNBA Finals
- England return to winning ways in Nations League, Austria thrash Norway
- UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL 'may constitute a war crime'
- Ravens outlast Commanders while Bucs batter Saints in NFL
- Dozens hurt in Israel as Hezbollah claims drone strike
- England deserve 'world class' coach: Carsley
- Burkina Faso win to become first qualifiers for 2025 AFCON
- AC Milan's Pulisic among five out for USA match in Mexico
- France's Amandine Henry retires from international football
- Centre-left set to win pro-Ukraine Lithuania's vote
- India's World Cup hopes in Pakistan hands after Australia defeat
- Zelensky says NKorea sending troops to Russian army
- England beat Finland to get back on track
- King and Lewis propel West Indies to T20 triumph over Sri Lanka
- Pre-Halloween 'Terrifier' lands atop North America box office
- 'I still plan to compete and play next season,' says Djokovic
- Harris, Trump seek advantage in knife-edge election battle
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record in Chicago
- Kamindu and Asalanka power Sri Lanka to 179 against West Indies
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record as Korir wins in Chicago
- Spain send injured Yamal home 'to prioritise player's health'
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Iraq walks fine line with pro-Iran factions to avoid war
- Race four abandoned after New Zealand breeze into 3-0 lead in America's Cup
- West Indies win toss, put Sri Lanka in to bat in first T20
- Sudan rescuers say air strike killed 23 in Khartoum market
- Netanyahu tells UN to move Lebanon peacekeepers out of 'harm's way'
- Bangladeshi Hindus defy attack worries to celebrate festival
- Kiwis three up in America's Cup as Ineos pay for time penalty
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Dominant England crush Scotland at Women's T20 World Cup
- Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Israel fights Hezbollah on the ground, pounds Lebanon from the air
- Sabalenka outlasts local hero Zheng to win third Wuhan Open title
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Former Pakistan captain Azam dropped for second England Test
- 'Opportunist' Dupont dazzles on Toulouse return
- Australia replace injured Vlaeminck with Graham at Women's T20 World Cup
- Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Israel hits Lebanon from the air and fights Hezbollah on the ground
- China's Yin has 'goosebumps' as she romps to LPGA win in Shanghai
- Pakistan to re-use Multan pitch for second England Test
- Blair and King Charles hail Salmond's 'devotion' to Scotland
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- Israel widens Lebanon strikes as troops fight Hezbollah along border
Japanese man jailed for attacking Thai dissident
A Japanese man was jailed for 20 months on Wednesday for attacking a Thai academic in Japan where he lives in self-exile following his vocal criticism of the military and monarchy.
The verdict was confirmed to AFP by the district court in Kyoto, where former diplomat Pavin Chachavalpongpun has lived for the past decade.
Tatsuhiko Sato, 43, had last month admitted to breaking into Pavin's home in 2019 and attacking the dissident and another person with tear gas, according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK and other local media.
Pavin, an associate professor at Kyoto University, said he suspected the attack had been masterminded from Thailand.
"I truly believe that the Thai establishment is behind this because I have no enemies in Japan and have never participated in any political activity on Japanese soil," the 51-year-old told AFP.
"I am satisfied with the court's verdict... However, the culprits behind this attack will still have to be pursued."
Pavin has published books and other commentaries about the military and monarchy in Thailand, where criticism of the king is considered taboo.
He is also an administrator of a Facebook group with more than two million members who discuss the royal family's role in the country, as well as a pro-democracy movement's proposals for reforms.
Thailand's lese majeste law is seen as one of the strictest in the world. Offenders can land up to 15 years in jail per charge for defaming, insulting, or threatening the king, queen, heir-apparent or regent.
At Sato's first hearing last month, prosecutors sought two years in jail and argued it was a planned attack under an order from an accomplice, NHK said.
Pavin said he did not know Sato and had not met him before the incident, which left the academic traumatised.
"The man could be linked to organised crime because there was a BMW waiting to pick him up," he said.
"I have had trouble sleeping at night. I also had to install at least five surveillance cameras in my house in addition to extra locks and an anti-theft alarm."
At least nine Thai dissidents who fled political persecution in Thailand have been forcibly disappeared in neighbouring countries in recent years, according to Human Rights Watch.
One of the most notable cases was the disappearance of pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who was abducted by armed men in broad daylight in Phnom Penh in 2020. He remains missing.
Pavin, who has been a thorn in the side of the army since it seized power in a 2014 coup, accused the military in 2016 of harassing his family in Thailand.
D.Moore--AMWN