It was a case of deja vu. The military court’s swift proceedings against 14 students at midnight on June 26 evoked parliament’s rushed passage of the Pheu Thai-sponsored amnesty bill in the early hours of Nov 1, 2013. Regardless of political leaning, whichever side is in power always mobilises all available resources for its own benefit.
Now the battle of wills between the anti-coup students and the military government is gathering pace, due in no small part to the junta’s suppression of free speech and the right to assembly.
The student conundrum became a headache for the military government on the first anniversary of the May 22 coup. Defying the National Council for Peace and Order ruling banning political gatherings, students met to protest the coup at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. In Khon Kaen, activists from the Dao Din group also staged an anti-coup event.
The government was faced with the problem of calming the ire of students, preferably without igniting criticism from the international community or succumbing to the youngsters.
Ultimately, the military opted for a hard-line approach, laying charges against students in Bangkok and in Khon Kaen.
But the students’ refusal to docilely report to police for defying NCPO orders has sparked wider dissent against the junta at a time when it is publicly contemplating how long to stay in power.
June 24, the anniversary of the 1932 Siamese Revolution and the country’s change from an absolute monarchy to electoral parliamentary democracy, was another watershed day for student protesters who showed a united front.
Bangkok police were greeted with the sight of Dao Din’s “most-wanted”, who were on hand to support their Bangkok colleagues during a 10-hour rally against the government’s social and economic mismanagement.
The next day the two groups of students came out to protest again at the Democracy Monument, brandishing banners that read “NCPO get out” and “people power equals sovereignty”. United by their shared cause, the New Democracy Movement was born to coordinate struggles against the junta.
But the military government was not to be shaken. The next day soldiers arrested 14 students at a meeting place owned by prominent activist Sulak Sivaraksa. They were charged for inciting unrest under Section 116 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. Warrants for their arrest were issued by a military court. The students say their protests were an act of civil disobedience against illegitimate rulers, so their cases should be tried under normal legal mechanisms.
But their argument fell on deaf ears. Just before midnight they were whisked away to judges waiting at a military court, instead of being interviewed at a police station.
“Investigators from several other police stations were already stationed at Phra Ratchawang police station, preparing testimony documents for the 14 students,” said Krisadang Nutcharut, a lawyer for the detainees.
“But the police officers were ordered by higher powers to immediately transport the students to the military court.”
Officers even tried to persuade the students to accept lawyers to act on their behalf during the night trial. The students, many of who are studying law, rejected the offer and addressed the court directly.
Rangsiman Rome, a Thammasat University law student who has qualified to graduate since being detained, told military judges that he had simply been upholding his rights and liberties under the constitution. He also informed them that he disagreed with the case being tried at a military court.
Jatupat Bunpattaraksa, a final-year law student at Khon Kaen University and core leader of Dao Din, said he and his friends wanted to air villagers’ grievances about natural resources and environmental conflicts.
He told judges the coup had crippled villagers’ right to speak out, so the students have a legitimate right to do so on their behalf.
Ratthapol “Bas” Supasopon, a final-year economics student at Thammasat University, said their arrests were invalid since force had been used against them and the arrest report documents were unlawful.
But the military court was unswayed by the students’ arguments, and granted the prosecutors’ request to detain the group for 12 days, with the possibility of extension.
Mr Krisadang said the NCPO has turned peaceful protesting into a serious criminal offence that must be tried in a military court.
Despite this, supporters of the students are not in short supply. Members of Thammasat’s Enlightened Jurists, or Nitirat, group, have visited Bangkok Remand Prison, where the 13 male students are being held, and the Women’s Central Prison, where the lone female student is detained. Scholars from various universities, parents, friends, sympathisers, representatives of Amnesty International Thailand and National Human Rights Commissioner Niran Pitakwatchara have also visited the detainees.
Raewadee Suapasopon, Mr Ratthapol’s mother, said she was concerned about the well-being of her only child, but proud that he cares about the plight of others.
“Bas loves playing the violin and he likes music,” she said. “He studies economics because he wants to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, who looks after the family.
“In our family, we respect each other’s decisions but we have rules. He has been given five years to study what he wants and a 1,500-baht weekly allowance to survive. The rest he has to manage on his own, even his long hair,” said the 60-year-old retired teacher.
Ms Raewadee lashed out at the military government’s hypocrisy.
“We want our nation to be smart and competitive, but when the young generation is critical and questioning, we just close that down,” she said.
Thirapimol Serirangsan, 25, is married to Pornchai Yuanyee, one of the detained protesters and former leader of the Students’ Federation of Thailand. Her father is president of the Political Development Council and a former coup cabinet minister under the Surayud government.
She said she supports her husband’s decision not to request bail, though his detention will be difficult for her and their baby daughter.
“We had been planning to go to the UK and already have our visas,” Ms Thirapimol said.
“I’m now undecided about what to do because of this situation. My husband wants me to continue my master’s degree. My father has no problem with whatever decision we make. We all understand and care for each other.”
The families of all the detainees are standing by the students’ decision not to seek bail but to ask for unconditional release. Cholticha Jaengrew, a student from Srinakharinwirot University, told her friends: “Don’t try to bail me out and keep fighting for democracy.”
Mr Rangsiman has urged Thammasat University rector Somkid Lertpaitoon, who is a member of the National Reform Council, to visit him, while Mr Jatupat says he wants Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to meet him.
The acts of the students are considered childish by some, but regarded as a beacon of hope and courage by many others. Either way, they will remain pebbles in the boots of the junta for the immediate future.