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A prominent Thai protest leader was rushed to hospital Friday night from a Bangkok police station when chaos broke out after he and two others were released on bail on sedition charges.
Panupong “Mike” Jadnok appeared to be unconscious when they put him into an ambulance. Local media said he passed out after being “strangled” by plainclothes policemen.
He, Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, in custody since mid-October, are among the best-known faces of Thailand’s pro-democracy movement.
The protesters have demanded reforms to the country’s monarchy and that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the former military chief who organized a coup in 2014, resign.
The student-led rallies, which take place almost daily for months, also call for a rewrite of the military-written constitution and an end to the government’s alleged harassment of political opponents.
After a court ordered the release of the three activists, police were apparently considering outstanding arrest warrants against them on Friday night.
Parit, shirtless and with a haircut, challenged officers to re-arrest him as he addressed a crowd of about 300 fans outside the station, who were singing songs.
“The iron bars can imprison the stars but not the starlight. In my heart, I still have faith in the people. The wind of change, the wind of democracy has come to Thailand,” he said.
“We will fight the darkness with starlight. We will fight evil with flowers. And we will fight weapons with white ribbons.”
Rung, whose long blonde locks were cut and dyed black during his time in prison, received a bouquet of flowers from the crowd.
“The movement has to continue. Everyone must recommit itself to non-violence,” Rung said.
“If violence occurs, it is not ours. Although we are becoming more frustrated, we must not fall for their ploy.”
Among the royal reforms being sought are the abolition of the draconian lese majesty law that protects the family from defamation, a clear accounting of the palace’s finances, and keeping King Maha Vajiralongkorn out of politics.
Such calls are unprecedented in Thailand, where criticism of the royal family is taboo.
Dozens of students boycotted his graduation ceremony at Thammasat University on Friday, where the king, who spends much of his time in Germany, was handing out degrees.
“Some people say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience (meeting the king). I don’t want to meet him. I don’t want to show respect to people like him,” said a 24-year-old graduate. who identified himself as Jack, told AFP.
“Why do we have to worship him like a god? I’ve always asked myself these questions,” another graduate, Bowie, told AFP.
An AFP reporter at the scene said the number of students present was visibly less than in previous years.
Thammasat University has a reputation for having liberal views and was the scene of a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1976.
University officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The king was expected to attend another graduation ceremony on Saturday, and Prayut warned students not to get out of line.
bur-lpm / sst
