Thailand: NGO meeting interrupted by military
Event- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jun 13, 2015
- Event Description
The Thai military stormed into a meeting in central Thailand, citing the junta's political gathering ban, while calling meeting's participants "brainless'. On 13 June, according to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Center (TLHR), the military officers interfered the meeting organised by the Assembly of the Poor (AOP), an NGO which is the voice of marginalised communities in Thailand, in Chai Baa Daan District of the central Lop Buri Province. The miliary officer accused the organisers of the meeting for violating the junta's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s Order No. 7/2014, which prohibits a political gathering of more than five persons. The meeting was about Nong Yai To land dispute of Chai Baa Daan District, where as many as 30 villagers claimed that the public land plots overlap with the land plots that they have occupied. Six military officers led by Lt. Kriangkrai Auppakara intervened the meeting and claimed that the meeting was a gathering with "more than four people," TLHR quoted Kriangkrai as saying. The meeting participants tried to explain to Lt. Kriangkrai that the meeting was not related to politics and that it was already approved by the local administrative officials. Kriangkrai, however, insisted on asking for a confirmation from the state officials about the meeting and asked if the meeting was about land disputes around Pa Sak Dam in the provice. Upon mentioning about the land issue, Kriangkrai said that villagers were "brainless' and "do not have much brain cells' in dealing with land issues. Therefore, the land problems have been protracted without solution. The Lieutenant also ordered his subordinates to take photos and seize meeting documents, including, the name list of its participants. He ordered the meeting's participants not to take photos of the military as well. Later on, the Chief Executive of the Sub-district Administrative Organization came to informed Kriangkrai that the meeting was pre-approved to be held, but he forgot to report about the meeting to the military. At the end, Kriangkrai said it was his duty to come and check on the meeting because he would be criticised by his superior if he fail to do so.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly
- Land rights
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Not active
- Event Location
Latitude: 14.799508099999995
Longitude: 100.65337060000002
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 13 June 2015, a meeting organised by the Assembly of the Poor (AOP), an NGO which is the voice of marginalised communities in Thailand, was interupted by military officers. The meeting was about the Nong Yai To land dispute in Chai Baa Daan District, where as many as 30 villagers claimed that the public land plots overlap with the land plots that they have occupied. The miliary officers accused the organisers of the meeting of violating the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s Order No. 7/2014, which prohibits a political gathering of more than five persons. The meeting participants tried to explain that the meeting was not related to politics and that it was already approved by the local administrative officials. Upon mentioning about the land issue, one of the military officers said that villagers were __�brainless' and __�do not have much brain cells' in dealing with land issues.