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. Early life and education Giles Ji Ungpakorn is the youngest son of former Bank of Thailand governor and Thammasat University rector Puey Ungpakorn (; ) 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. Political role In 2006, after the military staged a coup and revoked the constitution, Ungpakorn led a demonstration by university students in downtown Bangkok. 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. He has criticised King Bhumibol for being a "weak, unprincipled" monarch who has never supported democracy, and holds the army, the elites, and the king responsible for supporting the Thammasat University Massacre of 1976. He has denounced the king's much-touted sufficiency economy, branding it an arrogant commandment for the poor to know their place, while the king is the richest monarch in the world. Ji also declares himself a Marxist. He is a member