Nine people arrested late Wednesday after a violent protest at the Samran Rat police station remain in custody after the Criminal Court adjourned a hearing on Thursday evening.
The court finished examining the police complaints against the group and would reconvene on Friday at 9am to rule on their request for further detention, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
The seven men and two women were arrested for leading around 20 people to splash and spray paint at the station in Phra Nakhon district, said Pol Maj Gen Nakharin Sukhonthawit, commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 6.
The group caused significant damage by breaking a glass door and splashing and spraying paint on walls, passages and stairs of the station, he said on Thursday.
A policeman who tried to contain the situation was hit in the head and required seven stitches, further escalating the violence.
Pol Maj Gen Nakharin said such an incident should not have happened as it damaged state property acquired with taxpayers’ money.
The nine demonstrators have been charged with damaging state property, attacking government officials, and trespassing. Police sought a court order for their detention, according to the commander.
The protesters had gathered to demand justice for a 15-year-old girl who has been detained for more than 40 days on a charge of royal defamation under Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
Her supporters descended on the Samran Rat station after learning that officers there were preparing to lay an additional charge against the teen.
The girl known as Thanalop or “Yok” is scheduled to appear today in family court, where prosecutors are expected to seek approval for another 15-day detention period.
Yok has been held at the Ban Pranee Juvenile Vocational Training Centre for Girls in Samphran district of Nakhon Pathom province since March 29.
According to Pol Maj Gen Nakharin, police had no choice but to abide by the law in the girl’s case since no guardians had showed up to seek her temporary release.
Yok herself released a statement on Facebook on Thursday saying that she was not asking for bail as she did not recognise the court process, and would not accept the lawyers that the court has appointed.