Thailand Politics

14 Students Arrested after Holding Anti-Junta Demonstration in Bangkok

A Thai pro-democracy activist flashes the three-finger salute of the Thai military coup opponents and holds a photo of an arrest in a past demonstration during a rally in front of a police station in Bangkok

BANGKOK – Fourteen Thai students who staged an anti-coup rally were arrested early today on charges that could see them jailed for seven years, police said, as the ruling junta escalates its choke-hold on dissent.

The pro-democracy campaigners are among the few activists who have dared to publicly challenge Thailand’s military rulers, who imposed severe curbs on civil liberties after seizing power from an elected government last year.

Their arrests followed a peaceful protest calling for an end to junta rule at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument a day earlier, where spirited speeches and songs were met with claps and cheers from dozens of supporters.

Thailand’s generals have banned all political gatherings and criticism of the junta, frequently arresting critics and censoring the media.

Colonel Chumphol Chanchanayothin, superintendent of a police station in the capital’s historic area, said the students were taken to a remand prison in northern Bangkok in the early hours today.

They have each been charged with “violating national security”, he said, an offense under section 116 of Thailand’s criminal code that carries up to seven years in jail. A lawyer for some of the activists and rights groups have described the charge as “sedition”.

The students were also charged with “breaching the NCPO [junta] order” against public gatherings but “face a maximum of seven years in jail”, Chumphol said.

The students arrested on Friday study at universities in Bangkok and the northeast and are part of groups that have staged small but symbolic acts of protest against the military regime.

Policemen look on as supporters of anti-coup activists gather outside a police station, where the activists were being held.

Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch told AFP the charges reflected “a serious escalation of repression” under the junta and showed it had “no intention” of returning democracy to the country.

“This is the most heavy-handed response by the military regime to peaceful assembly yet,” he said.

“There is no space to express disagreement … what is waiting for Thailand is a deepening of dictatorship,” he said, as the rights group called for all charges against the students to be dropped and for their immediate release.

Last month seven of the 14 charged participated in a prominent anti-coup rally to mark one year since the takeover in the capital, quashed only when police dragged away and held overnight dozens of students in angry scenes.

The other half of the detained group, who study in the northeastern city of Khon Kaen, also staged an anti-coup rally last month and have been dubbed the “Magnificent Seven” on social media.

On Wednesday, one of the Bangkok activists from last month’s protest was charged with illegal assembly for that rally, the same day the 14 students charged Friday filed complaints against police alleging maltreatment by authorities back in May.

Police did not charge the group of 14 then and unusually held back from the rally on Thursday, which also drew dozens of journalists. They arrested them late on Friday afternoon, hours after encircling a house where they had been seeking refuge.

Thailand’s generals claim the May last year coup was essential to restore order to the country after months of often violent protests against the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

But opponents say it was the latest manoeuvre by Bangkok-based royalist elites, backed by large swathes of the military, to scupper democracy in the kingdom.

The junta had promised to hold new elections within 15 months of the coup but the timetable has repeatedly slipped with polls no longer expected before September next year.

Thailand Politics

Thai Prime Minister’s Popularity Declines as Move Forward Party dominates

(CTN News) – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continues to make local and international visits to try to solve problems and promote Thailand, but he has failed to impress most voters, according to a Nida poll. The poll also revealed the declining popularity of Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the rise of the Move Forward Party.

According to a poll released on Sunday, only 12.85% of people supported the prime minister, down from 17.75% in the previous survey. The daughter of convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin, currently on parole, saw her popularity drop from 6% to 4.85%.

The National Institute of Development Administration conducts a quarterly survey of the public’s preferred political leaders. The last survey was released at the end of March.

According to the survey, supporters of the prime minister described Mr Srettha as a resolute decision-maker determined to address their problems. Ms Paetongtarn was complimented for her vision, leadership, knowledge, and grasp of the country’s difficulties.

This weekend, the prime minister will be in the northeast region listening to citizens’ concerns. The journey occurred only a few days after he had visited northern provinces earlier in the week.

Despite criticism, he has reduced his abroad trips, citing the need to showcase Thailand to investors and traders.

Pita Limjaroenrat, the chief advisor of the Move Forward Party, remained the top candidate for prime minister with 45.50% of the vote, up slightly from 42.75% in the previous quarter’s poll.

Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was the huge winner. The leader of the United Thai National Party saw his popularity nearly quadruple from 3.55% to 6.85%.

The sampled voters stated they appreciated Mr Pita’s political beliefs and thought he had broad knowledge. They praised Mr Pirapan’s credibility, claiming he was clean and honest.

Two other probable prime minister candidates were Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party and Anutin Chanvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai. However, they were less popular than others.

About 20% of voters still did not believe any candidate was qualified to lead the country, which is the same percentage as in the last survey.

Move Forward Party was the most popular party with 49.20%, up slightly from three months ago, while Pheu Thai fell around five percentage points to 16.85% from 22.10%.

The poll, issued on Sunday, surveyed 2,000 ineligible voters between June 14 and June 18.

Thailand Politics

Move Forward Party MP Jirat Thongsuwan Appeals Suspended Jail Sentence for Defamation

(CTN News) – Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward Party MP, says he would appeal his one-year suspended jail sentence for defaming a former senior defense ministry official concerning the state’s procurement of bogus bomb detectors.

The Criminal Court also fined Mr Jirat 100,000 baht for falsely accusing ACM Tharet Punsri, a former Air Force chief-of-staff who later became the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, of being the chairman and shareholder of a company that supplied the military with the infamous GT200 bomb detectors.

The Chachoengsao MP claimed a July 20, 2022, no-confidence vote against cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. ACM Tharet was not a cabinet member.

Jirat Thongsuwan also identified ACM Tharet as a key figure in the 2006 coup headed by then-army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, which overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra.

ACM Tharet told the court that Jirat Thongsuwan’s charges were false and harmed his reputation. He denied involvement with the bomb detection company and said he was not the company’s senior chairman or shareholder.

In addition to the suspended jail term and fine, the court ordered Jirat Thongsuwan to pay $ 500,000 baht in damages to ACM Tharet and publish an apology in three newspapers for five days.

Jirat Thongsuwan later announced on his X account that he had challenged the verdict with the hashtag “An injustice is infuriating”.

The MP has also been accused of dodging required military conscription. He admitted to the accusation on May 8.

A British business promoted the GT200 as a “remote substance detector” and sold it in several countries. Between 2004 and 2009, fourteen Thai government organizations, most of which were military, were projected to spend 1.4 billion baht on the units.

Concerns about the GT200 and related gadgets arose after the National Science and Technology Development Agency discovered they lacked electronic components.

The devices were later revealed to be “divining rods”.

Thailand Politics

Thaksin Shinawatra Files 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit Against Warong Dechgitvigrom

(CTN News) – Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, has launched a defamation action against Warong Dechgitvigrom, the head of the Thai Pakdee Party, accusing him of paying a bribe to be released on bail in a lese majeste case.

Thaksin’s attorney, Winyat Chartmontree, filed a lawsuit against Warong, seeking 100 million baht in damages.

Warong, a long-time Thaksin Shinawatra critic, gave a public statement and posted on social media, saying that 2 billion baht was paid to judicial officials in exchange for release on bail in the lese majeste case.

Thaksin Shinawatra Granted Release on 500,000 Baht Bond

Thaksin was granted release on a 500,000 baht bond last week and told not to leave the country without court authorization after pleading innocent to charges of defaming King Rama IX in a 2015 interview with South Korean media.

Winyat stated that, while Warong did not identify Thaksin Shinawatra by name in his speech or post, he did include a hashtag with Thaksin’s name as well as the date Thaksin must appear in court, allowing readers to connect Thaksin to the allegations.

Winyat further stated that he was investigating the fact that Warong mentioned the specific aircraft and automobiles utilized by Thaksin Shinawatra to violate the Personal Data Protection Act.

“I have requested Mr Warong to provide proof as to where he received the data. “If it turns out that it came from state officials, there will be legal consequences,” he warned.

The Criminal Court has scheduled the case’s preliminary hearing for September 30.