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BANGKOK: One of the country’s most prominent protest leaders apparently unconscious was removed from a van by Thai police on Friday (October 30), as he and two others were arrested again just as they reached the limit of their detention.
Panupong “Mike Rayong” Jadnok, 24, Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, 22, and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, 22, were arrested during an orderly offensive on October 15 to try to end months of anti-government protests and call for reforms. of The monarchy.
Video footage showed Panupong collapsed and being transported from a police van that had taken him from the Bangkok remand prison to the Pracha Chuen police station before being taken away in an ambulance.
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Thai human rights lawyers said Panupong was not in danger, but would remain in the hospital overnight. The group said they believed he had passed out after he was strangled in the truck. Police were not immediately available for comment.
An officer had previously said that he had orders to take them from the prison to the police station. A lawyer for the three said they were going to take them away to be charged again, arguing that it was illegal to do so because they had already pleaded not guilty to the same charges.
In chaotic scenes outside the police station, Parit – who took off his shirt – and Panusaya gave an impromptu speech to dozens of supporters who had gathered there. They challenged the legality of his new arrest and vowed to continue protesting peacefully.
“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.”
Student leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul walks outside the Prachachuen Police Station in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 30, 2020. REUTERS / Chalinee Thirasupa
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.”
They have denied all the charges against him.
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All three have been among the most vocal in calling for the power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s monarchy to be curbed during the protests that began in mid-July. They have been charged with multiple crimes, from sedition to breaking emergency laws aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
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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.
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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.
Dozens of protesters, including several protest leaders, were arrested under emergency measures that were withdrawn a week ago after they failed to generate much larger protests.
