Thailand: Anti-junta student activists detained in Khon Kaen
Event- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- May 22, 2015
- Event Description
Thai military officers have detained students activists in Isan, Thailand's Northeast, for holding an anti-junta political activity on the first anniversary of 2014 coup d'_tat. At 1:27 pm on Friday, police and military officers arrested and detained seven student activists from the Dao Din group, a student activist group based in Khon Kaen University, in front of Khon Kaen Province's replica of the Democracy Monument. While arresting the students, the officers reportedly threatened to take legal action against them if they refused to cooperate with the authorities.At 1:40 pm, the seven students were brought to Si Phatcharin Military Base in the province and are currently in custody along with six observers some of whom are from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR). The seven were arrested shortly after they held a banner against the junta which simply says "Against the coup d'_tat'. They also put up placards with various comments against the regime. Before the arrest, the group read out their stance against the junta, pointing out that the junta have taken away the authority that all Thai people should have while enforcing authoritarian laws to suppress the people and sell off the country's natural resources to business interest groups. "We think that we are doing the right thing to criticise the government, which is the right of every citizen. If the junta thinks that this is wrong, then this country has become a full dictatorship," said Phanuphong Sithananuwat, a Dao Din member. In November 2014, five student activists from the group gave the three-fingered salute to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader. The students were immediately detained and later interrogated by the military. The military also involved their parents and threatened to have them expelled from the university if they did not accept the junta's conditions. UPDATE: 29/ 06/ 2105 14 anti-junta student activists arrested At 5.30 pm on Friday police arrested 14 activists wanted on arrest warrants for anti-junta activities at their safe house, Suan Nguen Mee Ma, Charoen Krung, Bangkok. The police took them to Phra Ratchawang Police Station for interrogation. About 50 people came to give the group moral support. The police are expected to take them to Bangkok military court and submit a custody petition. The 14 activists are seven members of Dao Din, a student activist group based in Khon Kaen, and seven people accused of violating the junta's order by gathering in an assembly of five or more people on 22 May, the first anniversary of the military coup. The 14 activists on Wednesday joined the Neo Democracy Movement (NDM), an anti-coup group mostly composed of student activists across the country.
- Impact of Event
- 7
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly
- Right to Protest
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 16.4321938
Longitude: 102.8236214
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 22 May 2015, seven students activists from the Dao Din group, a student activist group based in Khon Kaen University, were arrested for holding an anti-junta political activity on the first anniversary of 2014 coup d' _tat. The seven were arrested shortly after they held a banner against the junta which simply says __�Against the coup d' _tat'. They also put up placards with various comments against the regime. They were later released on bail.