'Catch me if you can' man caught

'Catch me if you can' man caught

An accused organiser of anti-coup flash mobs in Bangkok was finally apprehended Thursday night, but managed to text news of his own arrest before being secured by junta authorities.

Protest leader Sombat Boonngam-anong announced his own arrest, posting a message late Thursday night on his Facebook account saying simply, "I've been arrested.''

A source at the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) later confirmed Mr Sombat was detained in Chon Buri province by a joint operation involving both soldiers and police.

Mr Sombat had defied an order from the NCPO to report to junta authorities, and went into hiding. While a fugitive, he worked online to organise and support anti-coup protests in Bangkok.

Mr Sombat was also one of the first people to organise protests against the previous coup, which ousted then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006, and became known for imaginative and non-violent tactics.

A core member of the Red Sunday Group, he challenged the NCPO on May 23 to ''catch me if you can'' after the order to report. He was supposedly behind flash-mob rallies against the coup on May 25 in front of Amarin Plaza in Ratchaprasong area and at Asoke intersection last Sunday.

The Facebook page of Sombat Boonngam-anong.

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