Thailand: 15-year-old WHRD receives death threats
Event- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Apr 10, 2023
- Event Description
Anon Klinkaew, leader of the ultra-royalist group People’s Centre to Protect the Monarchy, has threatened to kill a 15-year-old monarchy reform advocate, because she refused to take part in the judicial process after being charged with royal defamation.
In a 10 April live broadcast on his Facebook page, Anon said he will continue to file charges against critics of the monarchy, including 15-year-old activist Thanalop. He also said he was told that Thanalop and an activist known as “Comrade Sleepless” is the same person, and that he will kill her if this is true.
“Don’t you fucking hope that I’ll stop. I won’t stop no matter what happens,” Anon said. “That fucker Yok or Comrade Sleepless, if they’re the same person, they’re dead. Just wait and see.”
Anon also threatened to beat up Thanalop and kill her if she doesn’t agree to participate in the judicial process. “I will fucking kill you. Don’t tell the police, then,” he said on the broadcast. “I will beat you up, don’t you fucking complain.”
Anon claimed that he was angry because he was mentioned in posts made on Thanalop’s Facebook profile account, which caused him to be attacked by people on social media. He also threatened to file a complaint directly with the court against Thanalop because filing a complaint with the police takes too long.
Anon has previously filed royal defamation complaints against several monarchy reform advocates, including Thanalop, who is now detained at the Ban Pranee Juvenile Vocational Training Centre for Girls.
Thanalop is facing two royal defamation charges, one for an incident that occurred around the Giant Swing in Bangkok’s old town on 13 October 2022 and another for reading a statement condemning the Thai justice system during a protest at the UN headquarters in Bangkok on 18 February 2023. Both complaints were filed against her by Anon.
Thanalop was arrested on Tuesday (28 March) on a warrant issued by the Central Juvenile and Family Court when she went to the Royal Palace Police Station after an activist was arrested for spray-painting graffiti calling for the repeal of the royal defamation law onto the wall of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha within the Grand Palace.
In February 2023, Thanalop, who was 14 years old at the time, received a summons from Samranrat Police Station, after Anon accused her of royal defamation for the 13 October 2022 protest. She asked the police to postpone her appointment to 9 April as she has an examination, but an arrest warrant was issued for her regardless.
Condemning her arrest as unlawful and unfair, Thanalop refused to appoint a lawyer, sign any document, or request bail. When she was taken to court the morning after her arrest, she had to be carried into the courtroom by 7 women officers. The court then ordered her detention.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Death threat
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression
- Offline
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- Right to Protest
- Freedom of expression
- HRD
- Pro-democracy defender
- WHRD
- Youth
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 13.759392642791498
Longitude: 100.4916265945031
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 10 April 2023, Thanalop “Yok” Phalanchai ,15-year-old pro-democracy WHRD, received threats including death threats by a member of a ultra-royalist group on social media in Bangkok, Thailand.