As the nation celebrates Mother’s Day today, two mothers of political activists cannot cherish the fondness and spirit of family gatherings as their children travel unconventional roads in life away from them.
Mariyoh Hayiteh, 62, is worried her son can no longer receive the food she cooks for him due to the new, more stringent regulations imposed at the prison in Pattani, which bars food deliveries to detainees.
Ms Mariyoh’s son, Muhammad Anwar bin Ismael Hajiteh, better known as Anwar, and eight others were imprisoned in July 2007 after being found guilty of involvement in insurgency activities and belonging to the separatist group Barisan Revolusi Nasional.
But two years later in June 2009, the Appeals Court cleared Anwar and another defendant of the charges.
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“When he was free, he worked and never went into hiding, so I was quite sure of his innocence,” said the Pattani resident.
After his release, Anwar wrote articles about culture, language and society, taught Islam at an elementary school and attended the School of Peace (Sop) in Bangalore in 2010.
“I’m proud that all of my four children have graduated with degrees including the youngest Anwar. They all chose what they wanted to do in life and they are good kids,” said Ms Mariyoh from Yaring district.
However, on May 1 last year the Supreme Court overturned the acquittal and reimposed Anwar’s 12-year jail term. Ms Mariyoh was devastated after hearing the Supreme Court’s verdict on May Day last year.
“The court notice was delivered at 6pm by hand, instead of the usual process of mailing it weeks in advance.
“The next day, he had to attend the court reading,” said the mother, who has suffered from heart problems for decades.
She was alarmed and dismayed with the course of justice. “It was unbelievable. He was jailed based on the statement of another group of suspects.”
When peace talks with insurgent groups were launched early last year, Ms Mariyoh hoped Anwar could be freed as part of the discussions focused on the release of security-related prisoners in the deep South, but the talks have faltered.
Ms Mariyoh thought the military might later offer an amnesty to the security-related prisoners, although a royal pardon would be more likely.
“I don’t want to wait until next Mother’s Day or Rayo Day [post Ramadan feast] to see him face-to-face,” she said.
The situation facing 46-year-old Porntipa Tsuji is barely more hopeful, although her daughter is not behind bars.
Ms Porntipa’s daughter, Kritsuda Kunasen, 27, is a political activist who has worked with a group providing financial support for red-shirt prisoners and families.
In an interview broadcast on YouTube on Aug 1, she accused the military of torturing her during her 27 days in detention.
She is now thought to be seeking exile in Europe. Following her torture allegations, the military wants to charge her with supplying weapons last year to anti-government protesters.
Ms Porntipa said she was startled by the military’s allegations against her daughter as she believed she was innocent. She called me and said she was treated badly, but could not talk over the phone,” she said from Ubon Ratchathani.
Ms Kritsuda, whose nickname is Ple, is the only daughter of Ms Porntipa and her former husband, a military registrar.Ple grew up with her father and spent several years as a Ramkhamhaeng University student activist.
“When she was around 17 or 18, Ple lived with me in Japan for nine months. She’s not a child from a broken home. Her father is kind and caring,” said the mother, who later had two sons with her new husband.
“I’ve told her to stay away from anything dangerous because I know she is prone to risky behaviour. Fortunately, she has not succumbed to drugs and gambling,” she said.
Ms Kritsuda was arrested in Chon Buri on May 28 for refusing to report to the NCPO after it summoned her on suspicion of involvement in computer crimes and on weapons-related charges.
“She is not a very young girl. She considers things with her head and heart, so it’s her choice to live her life as she wants.
“As her mother, I certainly hope that she is safe and secure. One day, our family will welcome her home again,” Ms Kritsuda’s mother said.