Nitirat leader assaulted, attackers arrested | Bangkok Post: learning

General news

Police announced this morning that they have arrested the two men suspected of yesterday's physical assault on Worajet Pakeerat, a core leader of the Nitirat group.

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Late morning update: Early this morning, police said this they knew the identities of the two suspects appearing in the CCTV footage and had summoned them for questioning. Shortly afterward, the announcement came that the two, twin brothers, had turned themselves into police and said their motive for the assault was anger over the campaign to amend the lese majeste law.

They were identified as Supot and Supat Silarat, 30, residents of Pathum Thani province. Supot told reporters he sold clothes and perfume for a living.  When Supat was asked, he said all he wanted to do was kick a reporter. He might not have been joking. He has apprently been arrested for assault previously.

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Nitirat core leader attacked at Thammasat

Lamphai Intathep

A core leader of the Nitirat group and law lecturer at Thammasat University Worajet Pakeerat was assaulted yesterday at the university's Tha Phra Chan campus by two men.

Mr Worajet believed the attack was linked to the Nitirat group's controversial proposal to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or lese majeste law.

Speaking at Thonburi Hospital where he received treatment for bruises to the face, some cuts and a nose bleed, Mr Worajet said the committee's campaign would carry on.

The committee is attempting to change the lese majeste law by collecting signatures to compel parliament to consider an amendment. "Despite what happened to me, the signature collecting process will go on," he said.

Mr Worajet said two men rushed him from behind and punched him in the face when he was walking towards his car yesterday.

He said he could not see his attackers because his spectacles fell off.

He heard one of them shouting: "I have been waiting for you since morning," before launching the attack. The men fled on a motorcycle, according to eyewitnesses.

Teera Suteewarangkurn, a law lecturer and member of the Nitirat group, said he was told that a cleaner and security guard saw the suspects.

The cleaner told him she remembered the two attackers as being among people who attended a recent event organised by an anti-Nitirat group at the university.

Suthon Khemphet, a security guard, said the attackers were aged between 25 and 30 years old.

One of them punched Mr Worajet so hard in the face that he collapsed onto the ground before they fled, he said.

Thammasat rector Somkit Lertpaithoon condemned the assault. "People who disagree with Ajarn Worajet should engage him in an argument, not resort to the use of force," he said. The two attackers were probably outsiders. The university's network of CCTV cameras captured several images of the two men, Mr Somkit said.

He had warned of possible violence erupting at the university following Mr Worajet's involvement with the Nitirat group in its campaign to amend the lese majeste law. However, he did not foresee a personal attack such as this.

"I warned of a possible clash between people who may agree or disagree with the campaign. I did not mean a physical assault on a university lecturer while he walked around campus. I denounce this attack in the strongest terms," he said.

identity – who or what somebody/something is  ชื่อ
suspect – a person who is thought to have committed a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
CCTV – a television system that works within a limited area, for example a public building, to protect it from crime โทรทัศน์วงจรปิด (ซีซีทีวี)
CCTV footage – video from a CCTV camera ภาพหรือหนังในเทปวิดีโอจากกล้องวงจรปิดเพื่อรักษาการความปลอดภัย
summon – to officially order someone to come to a place  เรียกตัว ออกหมายเรียก
twins – two children born at the same time to the same mother แฝด,  ฝาแฝด
turn yourself in – to give yourself up to the police ยอมจำนน
motive – the reason that you do something แรงจูงใจ
assault – a physical attack on someone การทำร้าย
campaign – a series of actions intended to produce political or social change การรณรงค์
amend – to make changes to a document, law, agreement, etc. especially in order to improve it การแก้ไขกฎหมาย
lese majeste – the crime of offending, threatening or showing disrespect for a member of the royal family หมิ่นพระบรมเดชานุภาพ
core leader – one of the most active or most important leaders of a group แกนนำ
bruise – a mark that you get on your body if you are hit or if you knock against something  แผลฟกช้ำ, รอยฟกช้ำ
physically assaulted – attacked by someone violently  ถูกทำร้ายร่างกาย
campus – the buildings of a university or college and the land around them พื้นที่ที่เป็นที่ตั้งของมหาวิทยาลัย
link – to connect  เชื่อมโยง
controversial – causing disagreement ซึ่งก่อให้เกิดการโต้แย้ง
proposal – a plan or suggestion for a group to consider ข้อเสนอ
Criminal Code – the systems of laws dealing with crimes and their punishment ประมวลกฎหมายอาญา
treatment – the process of providing medical care การรักษา
nosebleed – an occasion when blood comes out of someone’s nose การมีเลือดออกทางจมูก
carry on – to continue doing something ดำเนินต่อไป
signature – usually a person name written in a special way, but in this case a set of markings that are different from all others ลายมือชื่อ
compel – to force someone to do something บังคับ
process – a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
rush – to suddenly move forward to attack someone จู่โจม, โจมตี
punch – to hit someone/something hard with a fist (= closed hand) ชก, ต่อย
spectacles – eyeglasses แว่นตา
launch – to start something เริ่มต้น เริ่มทำ
fled (past of flee) – escaped; left an area very quickly because of a danger there หนีไป
eyewitness – someone who sees something happen พยานในเหตุการณ์
collapse – to fall down suddenly พังลงมา  ล้ม, พังครืน
rector – the person in charge in some universities, schools, colleges and universities อธิการบดี
condemn – to criticise something or someone strongly ประนาม
engage – to make an effort to understand and deal with someone or something  ประสานกับ
argument – a conversation or discussion in which two or more people disagree การโต้แย้ง, การแย้ง, การโต้เถียง
resort to – to do something extreme or unpleasant in order to solve a problem ใช้มาตรการรุนแรงในการแก้ปัญหา ยุติปัญหา
force – violent physical action used to obtain or achieve something กำลัง
violence – physical force with the deliberate intention of causing damage to property or injury or death to people ความรุนแรง
erupt – to start suddenly ปะทุขึ้น
involvement – the act or process of taking part in something การเกี่ยวข้อง
foresee – to think something is going to happen in the future; to know about something before it happens คาดคะเน,  รู้ล่วงหน้า
clash – a brief fight between two or more people การปะทะกันสองฝ่าย
denounce – to criticise someone or something severely in public ประณาม, ติเตียน