Thailand: Authorities raid activist house without search warrant
Event- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jun 21, 2017
- Event Description
Some 30 security officers have raided the house of the activist group Dao Din and confiscated documents about the controversial healthcare reform. When an activist asked to see a search warrant, a policeman gestured towards a military officer saying, "Here is the warrant." The raid happened in the early morning of 21 June 2017. Akhom Sibutta, a Dao Din student activist, was alone at the headquarters when the authorities raid in. The authorities told him that they visited the house on a "reasonable suspicion" without a further explanation. Akhom asked to see a search warrant from the court. But police officers gestured towards Lt Col Phitakphon Chusri, a soldier who spearheaded the raid, and said that "here is the warrant.' Phitakphon was a local unit leader of the junta's so-called peace-keeping force in Khon Kaen. He usually appears at political campaigns and activities criticising the junta in Khon Kaen. He was also the one who file a l��se majest_ complaint against Jatupat Boonpattaraksa, aka Pai Dao Din, for sharing a BBC biography of King Vajiralongkorn. Before leaving the headquarters, the authorities confiscated two documents about the amendments to National Security Act. Akhom asked the officers to sign their names in the search record but was rejected. When the activist asked to read the search record, the authorities rejected as well. According to The Isaan Record, Pol Col Chamlong Suwalak, chief of Muang Khon Kaen district police, said that the raid was on a suspicion that Dao Din was involved in the movement against the ongoing healthcare reform in Khon Kaen. Akhom, however, pointed that prior to the raid, various activist groups in Khon Kaen have received calls from security officers, asking whether they will have any movement during the junta head Prayut Chan-o-cha's visit to Khon Kaen on 21 June. Prayut was scheduled to give a speech on "The Mobilisation of Thailand 4.0 in Northeastern Region" at Khon Kaen University. In a Prayut's visit to Khon Kaen in 2014, five Dao Din activists, including Pai, briefly interrupted Prayut speech. They walked in front of the Prayut stage raising three fingers as a symbol opposing the junta regime.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Raid
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- Right to property
- HRD
- Pro-democracy defender
- Student
- Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Government
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 16.4321938
Longitude: 102.8236214
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 21 June 2017, some 30 security officers have raided the house of the activist group Dao Din and confiscated documents about the controversial healthcare reform.