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People gather outside Chiang Mai prison in support of Arnon, Prasit

PoliticsOct 16. 2020Arnon Nampha 

By THE NATION

Pro-democracy supporters showed up at the Chiang Mai central prison to provide support for human-rights lawyer Arnon Nampha and Chiang Mai University student Prasit Krutharoj, who were arrested on Thursday.

The Chiang Mai court rejected their bail application because the two were allegedly involved in an illegal gathering and face sedition charges.

Meanwhile, though supporters were not allowed to see the prisoners face to face, the warden told the group that Arnon was safe and not anxious. The warden also said the two detainees were being held in solitary confinement for 14 days in line with regulations to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Arnon was taken to the northern province on Thursday afternoon to face charges of sedition in relation to references he had made to the monarchy in speeches delivered earlier in Chiang Mai and Pathum Thani.

The activist’s Facebook page, meanwhile, has disappeared. His last post said that he had been denied access to ta lawyer, which is direct violation of his rights and endangered his safety.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha put the capital under emergency as of 4am Thursday to control escalating protests by a group that calls itself Khana Ratsadon 2563 (People’s Party 2020). Protesters had surrounded Government House on Wednesday but had been forced to disperse in the early hours of the following day.

Apart from Arnon and Prasit, other protest leaders, namely, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, have also been arrested and denied bail.

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Democrats ready to back special parliamentary session to discuss protests

PoliticsOct 16. 2020

Chinnaworn Boonyakiat

By THE NATION

Democrat MP Chinnaworn Boonyakiat indicated recently that his party may support opposition parties’ call for an extraordinary session of Parliament amid intensifying protests.

He said that to ask the members of government parties to attend the session, the opposition parties first need to send out an invitation. However, he said that no petition has been sent to his party or Parliament.

“To convene the session, one-third of Parliament members need to show their intention to attend,” he added.

He said that it would also be agreeable to convene a Parliament session on amending the Constitution, as a way to resolve the intensifying protests.

Meanwhile, speaking before attending a special Cabinet meeting on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul refused to express an opinion about convening an extraordinary session of Parliament.

On Thursday, six opposition parties called on the government to immediately lift the state of emergency imposed in Bangkok, saying it violated basic civil rights.

The opposition leaders said there were no legal reasons to justify emergency rule. They also called for an emergency session of Parliament to resolve the conflict by parliamentary means.

Support for an extraordinary session came from former minister Surapong Suebwonglee, co-founder of CARE group. In a post on his Facebook page on Thursday, Surapong asked MPs to send a signed petition to House Speaker Chuan Leekpai for opening the session.

He added that total opposition MPs were 212, and needed only 35 government party MPs for convening the session.

Total Parliament member were 738 and one-third of them were 246.

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Arrested leader urges people to continue fight for democracy even ‘if I don’t return to you’

PoliticsOct 16. 2020Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul 

By THE NATION

One of the pro-democracy protest leaders, Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, has urged supporters not to panic and to continue the fight, after she was arrested on Thursday morning.

A letter written by Panusaya was published by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration on its Facebook page on Thursday night

Her letter says: “Please do not panic, if I do not return to you. This is what I am ready to exchange for our fight. Do not worry about it. I wish all of you to be encouraged by the present situation. You may think the protest leaders were taken from you one by one. But, in fact, we are always with you, as a political ideal.

“In this situation, I have passed on my hopes and spirit to all of you. I wish you to stand up bravely and to guide our brothers and sisters as leaders. Our fight has come a long way and our victory is not far. I wish all of you to be ready to fight for democracy, for a better nation, and for our human dignity”.

Panusaya was arrested on Thursday morning from her hotel room.

The arrest came at around 8.20am, after she went live on the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group’s Facebook page, asking supporters to join a fresh political protest at 4pm at the Ratchaprasong intersection.

Another protester, Natchanon Pirote, who was in the room, also was arrested.

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Protesters form ‘human wall’ in stand-off with police

PoliticsOct 15. 2020

By THE NATION

Prominent activist Phanuphong Jadnok led protesters in forming a “human wall” as a rally kicked off in Bangkok at 4pm on Thursday.

The Free Youth protest group’s Facebook page reported that protesters began gathering at Ratchaprasong Intersection from 3pm, in response to a call by the pro-democracy Khana Ratsadon 2563 (People’s Party 2020) movement.

The call was made on Thursday morning after the protesters’ camp at Government House was cleared overnight by police in response to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha imposing a state of emergency banning all gatherings in the city.

Authorities have also arrested the protest movement’s leaders, including Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Prasit Utharoj, and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul.

About 450 police tried to block protesters from entering the Ratchaprasong area, as an estimated 4,000 sought to join the rally. Demonstrators chanted “get out” and “release our friends” as protest leaders tried to negotiate with the police.

The student-led protesters are demanding that the government resign, Parliament be dissolved and the junta-drafted Constitution be rewritten.

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State of emergency allows govt to get away with violation of human rights: iLaw

PoliticsOct 15. 2020

By THE NATION

The Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) Group said the state of emergency, which went into effect early on Thursday, will give the premier unfettered right to exercise special powers as he was able to do in his capacity as chairman of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

In a social media post this morning, iLaw said the legislation allows Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha the authority to prohibit gatherings of more than five persons and allow detention of people without a court warrant for at least seven days.

The group said this was despite the fact that the Constitution grants people the right to hold peaceful gatherings, adding that as many as 421 persons had been charged based on this order under the NCPO.

As for the right to detain people without a court warrant, iLaw said the emergency decree allows authorities to extend the detention period to a maximum of 30 days in areas outside of police stations.

The group said this authority to detain people without an arrest warrant is a violation of human rights, and opens the door to torture.

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Prayut at Govt House after clamping emergency

PoliticsOct 15. 2020

By THE NATION

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is seen arriving at Government House on Thursday after clamping a state of emergency on Bangkok and after pro-democracy leaders were arrested and protesters cleared from the area.

The state of emergency came into effect at 4am on Thursday.

The protesters reportedly threw small objects at police officers, but eventually dispersed.

At 4.55am, police gained control of the area in front of Government House as well as the entire Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.

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Protest leader Panusaya arrested at hotel room

PoliticsOct 15. 2020

By THE NATION

Pro-democracy protest leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul was arrested on Thursday morning at her hotel room.

The arrest came at around 8.20am, after she went live on the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group’s Facebook page asking supporters to join a fresh political protest at 4pm at Ratchaprasong Intersection.

Another protester named Natchanon Pirote, who was also in the same room, was arrested.

There were reportedly three to four people in the room.

According to a video on the Free Youth Facebook page, no video was recorded of the scene when a policeman stated the charges against Panusaya. But there was a recording of the police charges against Natchanon, who was charged with sedition, illegal gathering, using an amplifier without permission and computer crime.

Earlier, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency in Bangkok effective from 4am on Thursday to control the escalating pro-democracy protest in front of Government House since Wednesday.

Police subsequently arrested four rally leaders – Parit Chiwarak (Penguin), Anon Nampa, Prasit Utharoj and Phanuphong Jadnok – and cleared the area of the protesters.

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Police deployed in Ratchaprasong area amid planned protest, warn against ‘illegal’ assembly after 5pm

PoliticsOct 15. 2020

Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy commissioner Piya Tawichai

By THE NATION

Police announced on Thursday that they are deploying at Ratchaprasong in Bangkok after student pro-democracy protesters stated their intention to hold a rally at the main intersection from 4pm.

Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy commissioner Piya Tawichai said police would be stationed at three spots – the skywalk linking Chidlom and Siam BTS stations, another skywalk near Big-C Ratchaprasong and Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Hotel, and Siam Paragon department store.

He warned that the assembly of more than five persons after 5pm is illegal, under the new state of emergency, and advised the public to avoid routes that pass Ratchaprasong from 4pm to 10pm.

The announcement came after pro-democracy group Khana Ratsadon 2563 (People’s Party 2020) stated its intention to continue its political rally at Ratchaprasong Intersection at 4pm.

On Wednesday, the protesters moved to Government House and camped there. But early on Thursday police arrested four rally leaders – Parit Chiwarak (Penguin), Anon Nampa, Prasit Utharoj and Phanuphong Jadnok – and cleared the area of the protesters. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also clamped a state of emergency in Bangkok from 4am.

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Khana Ratsadon 2563 vows to continue protest despite state of emergency, arrest of 4 leaders

PoliticsOct 15. 2020File Photo of Parit, a rally leader 

By THE NATION

The Free Youth Group on Thursday posted an announcement on Facebook by Khana Ratsadon 2563 (People’s Party 2020), which called the arrest of four of their leaders “an unfair act” and termed thestate of emergency a “government ploy”, while vowing to continue their protest at 4pm.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency in Bangkok effective from 4am on Thursday to control the escalating pro-democracy protest in front of Government House since Wednesday.

Hundreds of crowd-control police officers were deployed and they eventually drove the protesters out of the area.

“In the early morning of October 15, government officials arrested four rally leaders – namely Parit Chiwarak (Penguin), Anon Nampa, Prasit Utharoj and Phanuphong Jadnok,” the announcement said. “It is an unfair act since the right to gather is allowed under the democratic regime, and is considered one of the basic rights of all humans. The declaration of state of emergency is not for the sake of the public, but is merely a government ploy to obstruct pro-democracy movements and keep control on their power,” it went on to say.

“We will continue our rally at 4pm on Thursday at Ratchaprasong Intersection. If you are a pro-democracy person, please come out and join us to take down the dictatorial power and its feudal followers,” the group added in the announcement.

Related Story: PM declares STATE OF EMERGENCY in Bangkok, 4 rally leaders arrested, areas cleared of protesters

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PM declares STATE OF EMERGENCY in Bangkok, 4 rally leaders arrested, areas cleared of protesters

PoliticsOct 15. 2020

By THE NATION

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency in Bangkok effective from 4am on Thursday to control the escalating pro-democracy protest by demonstrators who call themselves Khana Ratsadon 2563 (People’s Party 2020) in front of Government House since Wednesday.

Rally leaders Parit Chiwarak and Anon Nampa were reportedly arrested at Nang Loeng Intersection. Phanuphong Jadnok and Prasit Utharoj were also reportedly arrested.

The declaration prompted hundreds of crowd-control police officers to march slowly from Phitsanulok Road to Nang Loeng Intersection near Government House to force the rallyists out of the area.

The protesters reportedly threw small objects at the officers, but eventually dispersed from the areas.

At 4.55am police gained control of the areas in front of Government House as well as the entire Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.

At daybreak, officers from Bangkok’s Dusit district entered the areas to clean the road from Suan Mitsakawan Intersection to Nang Loeng Intersection and prepared to open the area to traffic as normal.