A Thammasat University vice-rector has urged the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to amend one of its previous orders to allow for the release of 14 detained students.
Post-it notes calling for the release of 14 university students detained from anti-coup protests are affixed on a board near BTS’s National Stadium station on Friday. An anti-coup group, Resistant Citizen, staged the protest display. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
Prinya Tewanarumitkul said the public will question the legitimacy of court proceedings if the students are tried in a military court for protesting against the anniversary of the May 22 coup.
"It will be a face-saving exercise for all if the NCPO amends its previous order, that acts of defiance and criticism against the council are viewed as serious offences and will be tried at the military court," he said.
Mr Prinya said the military court should not have the authority to decide if the students will be detained for longer than the 12-day period. Under military rule, authorities can detain a suspect for 12 days for questioning. If they want to detain a suspect past the original 12-day period, authorities are required to seek the military court's approval.
After the first 12-day period has passed, the students should be allowed to stand trial in a civilian court, said the associate professor of law, who is one of several lecturers who visited the students at Bangkok Remand Prison yesterday.
Krisadang Nutcharut, the head of the students' 14-member lawyer team, said the students would like the public to understand why they had to defy the NCPO's orders.
"They respect and want to maintain the constitutional monarchy, so they will not respect or recognise the authority of the military court and are willing to sacrifice their freedoms," said Mr Krisadang. "If the authorities still maintain the students need to be tried at the military court on Tuesday, they are asking for an open session, or they will prepare a way to defy [the court]," said the lawyer.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in his weekly televised address that he would not reprimand the students for their actions, but people must abide by the law.
"I see them all as a ‘source of purity’ who have the ability to greatly benefit this country in the future,'' he said.
"I have never rejected democracy and have never rejected elections. But as the previous democratic system was problematic, we need to fix what was wrong first," he said.
"You cannot simply reject the rules or disregard the law. If you can do so, what about everybody else? If everyone refuses to abide by the laws and regulations, there would be lawlessness. This is known as a failed state," he said.