Giles Ji Ungpakorn  Giles Ji Ungpakorn (; ; IPA:; born 25 October 1953) is a Thai-British academic and Marxist political activist. He formerly worked as an associate professor on the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, before he fled to the United Kingdom in 2009 after facing a lèse majesté charge in Thailand. Giles Ji Ungpakorn is the youngest son of former Bank of Thailand governor and Thammasat University rector Puey Ungpakorn (Thai: ป๋วย อึ๊งภากรณ์; ) and his wife Margaret Smith of London. He holds both Thai and British citizenship. He has two older brothers, former senator Jon Ungphakorn and Peter Mytri Ungphakorn. Giles Ungpakorn was educated in England at Sussex and Durham Universities and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London before returning to Thailand in 1997. In 2006, after the military staged a coup and revoked the constitution, Ungpakorn led a demonstration by university students in downtown Bangkok. He was later accused of lèse majesté for writing a book called "A Coup for the Rich", where he argued that the coup was illegitimate and supported by the king. Ungpakorn is widely known as an activist with the socialist Turn Left Thailand group.. In February 2007, his English-language academic work "A Coup for the Rich" was refused distribution by the Chulalongkorn University bookstore. His use of the controversial "The King Never Smiles", which he has reviewed and criticised, as a reference was the explanation given by the store manager. Ji was formally charged with "lese majeste" in Bangkok on 20 January 2009. He had 20 days to respond to the charges, after which the Thai authorities would decide whether his case would be given to the Thai courts for prosecution. Ji said he was being charged because of the contents of his book "A Coup for the Rich", which points out the reasons the coup in Thailand two years prior took place. He fled Thailand in February 2009, returning to the United Kingdom. He stated, "I did not believe I would receive a fair trial." Ji is a self-declared republican and a vocal opponent of the Thai monarchy and the military. While fleeing Thailand, he wrote "Red Siam Manifesto", which explicitly criticised King Bhumibol Adulyadej.