The world greeted the guilty verdict handed down to a Thai journalist on Wednesday with grave concern even as a separate trial could further complicate the existing legal woes of Chiranuch Premchaiporn.

Ms Chiranuch was found guilty yesterday by a local court in Bangkok, Thailand for her failure to delete a user's post on her personal site, which was deemed as insulting to the nation's long-reigning King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

For overlooking comments on her Prachatai news site, according to Agence France Presse (AFP), Ms Chiranuch was ordered behind bars for eight months, a punishment that the Bangkok court had immediately suspended.

Local media reports said that Ms Chiranuch eluded a possible sentence of 20-year for the offence against the Thai royalty, which is a big deal in a country that regards the king as an extension of a deity.

While the ailing King Bhumibol has been largely uninvolved in the day-to-day affairs of the Asian nation, he wields considerable influence in the social and political settings of Thailand.

He was previously responsible in the downfall of governments and prime ministers that were the subjects of protests by the highly-political Thai public, as hints of distaste from the king could prod leaders to resign in disgrace.

But critics said that Ms Chiranuch's case and her subsequent conviction had set off a dangerous precedent of suppressing freedom of expression in a country that penalises even the slight mention of criticism against the royals.

In a statement, the European Union said today that the predicament of Ms Chiranuch was deeply troubling.

"The EU expresses its deep concern about the damaging effects of a guilty verdict and the ensuing conviction on the freedom of expression in Thailand, for criminalising intermediaries for content posted by other Internet users on Web sites," the EU said in a news release issued by its Bangkok office.

The only relief that emerged in the situation, the EU said, was Ms Chiranuch will not see a single day in prison.

Supporters of the journalist, however, noted that Ms Chiranuch was not yet off the hook as she will have to face a separate trial before the kingdom's lese majeste laws, which when concluded against her could mean prison terms of up to 50 years.

The Committee to Protect Journalists also took the cudgels for Ms Chiranuch and said in a statement that the conviction serves as warning that "that Internet bystanders can still be caught up in expensive and uncertain criminal prosecutions for postings," that were beyond their control and responsibility.

It matters not if the comments were not written, edited or supported by the concerned parties, the group added.

Also, Google took the Chiranuch case in Thailand as a likely indicator of the complications that firms may have to deal with in doing their business in the country.

"The guilty verdict for something somebody else wrote on her Web site is a serious threat to the future of the Internet in Thailand," the Internet giant told AFP on Wednesday.