Jatupat Boonpattararaksa aka Phai Dao Din, a member of the anti-coup Dao Din movement, has been on hunger strike for 12 days now after being arrested for campaigning against the junta-influenced draft charter.

The student was arrested on August 6 for handing out “vote No” leaflets, which were deemed to be influencing votes – an act prohibited by the referendum bill.

Jatupat’s family and Amnesty International are also calling on the police to release him for medical treatment owing to his deteriorating health. However, police have said that the activist can only be released on a bail guarantee, a condition that Jatupat has been refusing to comply with as he insists his conviction is in no way legitimate.

“I don’t know. It’s the legal process. But did he break the law?” Prayut asked. “I have nothing to do with this. I didn’t issue the order to arrest him. I don’t care if he’s sick. Has he gone on strike on his own accord? You don’t eat then it’s normal that you’ll get sick. I also don’t care about his family calling for his release.”

Meanwhile, Phra Paisal Visalo, the abbot of Wat Pasukato in Chaiyaphum province, yesterday urged Jatupat to stop starving himself in protest of his “unfair arrest”.

Phra Paisal said he was concerned about the activist’s health and had asked him to end his fast but to no avail. Jatupat said he would continue fasting until tomorrow and then consider whether he should continue. Jatupat’s father Wibul Bunpattaraksa denied reports that his son had taken bread and milk. He said the media should not discredit Jatupat, adding he was required to take some food before ingesting prescribed medicine to prevent ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease.