12 activists who staged a protest during the November 2022 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week to express opposition to the One China policy and show support for Hong Kong independence have been found guilty and fined.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said that the Pathumwan District Court on Monday (15 July) found them guilty of blocking a public road and fined them 500 baht each. They were not found guilty of violating the Public Assembly Act because the Court did not consider the protest a public assembly since the activists did not invite the public to join the march or cause problems for the public.

The activists were also charged with refusing to follow an officer’s order because they were unwilling to be fingerprinted when reporting to the police to hear their charges. The Court found them not guilty because the inquiry officer was able to use other means to gather evidence and there was no need to take their fingerprints.

On 22 November 2022, the activists walked around the Yaowarat area of China Town dressed as Tang Sanzang the monk and Sun Wukon the monkey king, characters from the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West. Several others were dressed as a jiangshi, a type of reanimated corpse in Chinese folklore. They held signs expressing their opposition to the One China policy and support for Hong Kong independence. One protester in a jiangshi costume carried a sign saying “welcome dictators to Thailand.”

They boarded an MRT underground train from Wat Mangkon Station, intending to go to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre Station, the closest station to the venue of the meeting. The station had been closed in preparation for the meeting so the group returned to Hua Lamphong station.