Military pulls bail for Pai Dao Din

Military pulls bail for Pai Dao Din

Jatupat 'Pai Dao Din' Boonpattararaksa is escorted by officers in front of Khon Kaen Military Court on Thursday. (Photos FB/Bow Nuttaa Mahattana)
Jatupat 'Pai Dao Din' Boonpattararaksa is escorted by officers in front of Khon Kaen Military Court on Thursday. (Photos FB/Bow Nuttaa Mahattana)

The Military Court has revoked bail for activist Jatupat "Pai Dao Din" Boonpattararaksa, who allegedly took part in an anti-coup protest in Khon Kaen in 2015.

The order was passed on as Mr Jatupat attended a hearing at the 23rd Military Circle Court Thursday.

Bail was revoked because he remains in detention pending the results of a case involving lese majeste and violation of the Computer Crime Act after he shared an article that appeared on the BBC Thai website, the court said.

He was detained late last year.

In the Khon Kaen case, Mr Jatupat was apprehended with six other people who gathered at the Democracy Monument in the province on May 22, 2015, the first anniversary of the coup.

The regime has banned "political gatherings" involving five people or more.

They were arrested at the behest of Col Surasak Samranbamrung, chief of the intelligence unit at the 23rd Military Circle.

The court granted Mr Jatupat bail on Aug 23 last year with 10,000 baht in cash as surety. He was ordered not to attend any political gatherings or venture overseas.

Mr Jatupat turned up at court Thursday and was thronged by supporters. Military officers were deployed to maintain order. Col Surasak was there as a plaintiff witness.

Lt Col Pitakpol Chusri, chief of the Khon Kaen peacekeeping force, and Pol Lt Col Anusak Sakdawatcharanon, deputy superintendent of Muang Khon Kaen police, which was ordered to issue warrants for the arrest of all seven figures in the case, are both plaintiff witnesses.

But they failed to testify as scheduled and their hearings have been rescheduled.

The media was prohibited from attending the hearing.

In the case involving Mr Jatupat's alleged sharing of a controversial article on the BBC, he was initially released on 400,000-baht surety.

However, he was taken back into custody on Dec 22 because he did not delete the shared article from his Facebook page, and posted photos that allegedly mocked the authority of the state.

His family and lawyers sued unsuccessfully for bail and Amnesty International called for his temporary release.

Below: The prisoner's family and supporters were at the court hearing to see him escorted from military transport into the court.

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