14 Thai students were arrested, detained and charged in court for illegal assembly and sedition...
Meanwhile the government stood firm in its stance that the 14 students, who are members of the Neo Democracy Movement (NDM), should be tried in a military court for violating the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) ban on political gatherings of five or more people. The 14, who have also been charged with sedition, face maximum imprisonment of seven years.
The students insisted they would not seek bail, leading to growing anger and calls for the government to release them unconditionally. - The Nation, 1/7/2015, Ease tensions, experts urge
The students chose not to be bailed out.
There is no doubt the student activists being detained had prepared for a difficult situation in remand prison, as they opted not to seek bail.
Some of these students are active human rights defenders - who have been involved in struggles with rural people and underprivileged groups for human rights and justice.
...The students also joined the protest against the mine, which resulted in them being physically assaulted.
In September 2013, villagers who opposed granting the gold-mine concession were barred by security officers from taking part in a local public hearing on the matter. An ensuing confrontation almost led to a clash between the villagers and the officers. A group of Dao Din students knelt on the ground in the rain to appeal to the officers not to clash with the villagers. That act of bravery won the student group much praise.
Many have called for the immediate and unconditional release of these students, and that charges against these student human rights defenders be dropped.
Heavy-handed officials make student protests heroic
ATTAYUTH BOOTSRIPOOM
attayuth@hotmail.com July 2, 2015 1:00 am
THE ARREST and detention of 14 student activists, members of the Neo Democracy Movement (NDM), have had a heavy impact on the government. Earlier, the student group's moves seemed to have no political strength, but the legal action against them since then has drawn much public interest.
Some of the 14 detained students are from the Dao Din group of
activists that has a long history of fighting along with rural villagers
and underprivileged people. It is not that they stayed idle during the
previous government's tenure and just wanted to cause a headache for the
National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), as has been alleged by
critics.
Dao Din has been active in the Northeast, working with villagers in Loei province to protest against a gold mine that caused environmental and health problems. Villagers who blamed the mine for their illnesses brought their case to the Administrative Court. The students also joined the protest against the mine, which resulted in them being physically assaulted.
In September 2013, villagers who opposed granting the gold-mine concession were barred by security officers from taking part in a local public hearing on the matter. An ensuing confrontation almost led to a clash between the villagers and the officers. A group of Dao Din students knelt on the ground in the rain to appeal to the officers not to clash with the villagers. That act of bravery won the student group much praise.
After the coup in May last year that brought the NCPO came to power, the military took care of the gold-mine case and set up four committees to help solve the issue.
However, the villagers disagreed with this and wanted the problem solved in a way they suggested. They wanted to take part in the decision-making because they were directly affected.
Later, the military summoned the villagers' leaders for "attitude adjustment", and their voices were muzzled. That led to successive protests by the student activists against the coup, which they said resulted in restriction of rights and liberties.
Admittedly, the students campaigned aggressively and sometimes seemed to provoke the powers-that-be. This certainly could upset those in power for being challenged in a disrespectful way.
The authorities opted to arrest the student activists, a move that led to a lot of unexpected consequences for them. First, this issue has attracted more attention. Many people have questioned whether the government used too much power in dealing with a group of students who simply expressed their opinions publicly.
Opposition against the way the government is dealing with this matter has grown, both in and outside the country. A group of scholars and activists called for unconditional release of the student activists, who are being held in remand after refusing to seek temporary release. Some groups of students and academics also made similar calls. They argued that the arrested students had just exercised their basic rights as citizens.
Politicians from the country's two largest political parties - Pheu Thai and Democrat - have commented in the same way, despite their normally conflicting views over different issues. Moreover some regional and international organisations also called for unconditional release of the students - the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the European Union and Human Rights Watch.
As the pressure is mounting against the government, an interesting question is how it will act in response.
There is no doubt the student activists being detained had prepared for a difficult situation in remand prison, as they opted not to seek bail.
It is the government that is facing more and more pressure as time goes by. That explains why there was a suggestion for the authorities to release the students before the first 12 days of their allowable period of detention is complete. During this time, many may ponder who is suffering more - the detained students or the people in power. - The Nation, 1/7/2015
Dao Din has been active in the Northeast, working with villagers in Loei province to protest against a gold mine that caused environmental and health problems. Villagers who blamed the mine for their illnesses brought their case to the Administrative Court. The students also joined the protest against the mine, which resulted in them being physically assaulted.
In September 2013, villagers who opposed granting the gold-mine concession were barred by security officers from taking part in a local public hearing on the matter. An ensuing confrontation almost led to a clash between the villagers and the officers. A group of Dao Din students knelt on the ground in the rain to appeal to the officers not to clash with the villagers. That act of bravery won the student group much praise.
After the coup in May last year that brought the NCPO came to power, the military took care of the gold-mine case and set up four committees to help solve the issue.
However, the villagers disagreed with this and wanted the problem solved in a way they suggested. They wanted to take part in the decision-making because they were directly affected.
Later, the military summoned the villagers' leaders for "attitude adjustment", and their voices were muzzled. That led to successive protests by the student activists against the coup, which they said resulted in restriction of rights and liberties.
Admittedly, the students campaigned aggressively and sometimes seemed to provoke the powers-that-be. This certainly could upset those in power for being challenged in a disrespectful way.
The authorities opted to arrest the student activists, a move that led to a lot of unexpected consequences for them. First, this issue has attracted more attention. Many people have questioned whether the government used too much power in dealing with a group of students who simply expressed their opinions publicly.
Opposition against the way the government is dealing with this matter has grown, both in and outside the country. A group of scholars and activists called for unconditional release of the student activists, who are being held in remand after refusing to seek temporary release. Some groups of students and academics also made similar calls. They argued that the arrested students had just exercised their basic rights as citizens.
Politicians from the country's two largest political parties - Pheu Thai and Democrat - have commented in the same way, despite their normally conflicting views over different issues. Moreover some regional and international organisations also called for unconditional release of the students - the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the European Union and Human Rights Watch.
As the pressure is mounting against the government, an interesting question is how it will act in response.
There is no doubt the student activists being detained had prepared for a difficult situation in remand prison, as they opted not to seek bail.
It is the government that is facing more and more pressure as time goes by. That explains why there was a suggestion for the authorities to release the students before the first 12 days of their allowable period of detention is complete. During this time, many may ponder who is suffering more - the detained students or the people in power. - The Nation, 1/7/2015
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