Thailand sees a jump in royal defamation cases after death of king

By Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police are investigating 12 new complaints of royal defamation on social media lodged since the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej last week, a sharp rise amid intensifying scrutiny of anything deemed offensive to the monarchy. The death last Thursday of the revered king, who was 88, after seven decades on the throne has plunged the Southeast Asian country into mourning and heightened sensitivity about the monarchy. King Bhumibol was seen as a stabilizing figure in a country often racked by political turmoil.