Nine people were arrested after a violent confrontation outside a Bangkok police station between police and a group that had gathered in support of a 15-year old girl who has been detained for more than 40 days on a royal defamation charge.
The seven men and two women arrested included Tantawan “Tawan” Tuatulanon and Orawan “Bam” Phuphong, who earlier this year staged a 52-day hunger strike to press for the release of political prisoners and the abolition of Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese-majeste law.
The protesters began gathering at the Samran Rat police station in Phra Nakhon district at about 4pm. They wanted to talk to those in charge after learning that officers from the station were preparing to press an additional charge of defacing an archaeological site against the detained teenager known as Thanalop or “Yok”.
After the demonstrators waited in vain for two hours, they splashed and sprayed red paint on the walls and steps of the station, police vehicles and a poster with a picture of national police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas. A demonstrator also broke a glass door at the station.
About 50 crowd control policemen were deployed to control the situation. Officers with riot shields assembled and a standoff ensued before some pushing and shoving led to a melee. Nine people were taken away, some dragged by their arms and legs, in three separate police vehicles. They were being held at three different police stations, according to late reports from the scene.
The incident comes as a court is preparing to decide on Friday whether Yok can be detained for another 15 days.
The teen was arrested on March 28, the same day that a 24-year-old man was caught spray-painting a “No 112” message on the wall of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. He is facing a charge of defacing an archaeological site, and a lese-majeste charge was added later.
Police said at the time that they had a warrant to arrest Thanalop, who was accused of insulting the monarchy during a rally in October 2022 in front of Bangkok City Hall. She was 14 at the time. Protesters at the event were calling for the release of political detainees and for the abolition of royal defamation prosecutions.
After her arrest on March 28, the girl was detained overnight at the Samran Rat station and appeared the next day in juvenile and family court, where she refused to recognise the proceedings, sitting with her back to the judge. She was ordered into detention at the Ban Pranee Juvenile Vocational Training Center for Girls in Nakhon Pathom, where she remains today.
Under the Juvenile and Family Court Procedure Act, a minor must be released from detention if the prosecutor does not file charges or request a postponement within 30 days. In Thanalop’s case, the prosecution in late April requested that she be detained for an additional 15 days and the court agreed.
The law allows for as many as four 15-day postponements in cases where the offence carries a prison sentence of more than five years, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
People convicted of lese-majeste can be sentenced to between 3 and 15 years in jail. Sentences for multiple offences can be compounded.
According to data from TLHR to April 30 this year, 1,902 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the beginning of the Free Youth pro-democracy protests in July 2020. At least 242 are facing lese-majeste charges and 130 have been charged with sedition.
Crowd control policemen stand guard at the Samran Rat police station in Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok on Wednesday night after demonstrators splashed and sprayed red paint on the property. A picture of a detained teenage activist was placed in front of the policemen. (Photo supplied)