Thai man arrested for wearing red on king’s cremation day

BANGKOK: A Thai man was arrested and detained yesterday for saying on social media last week he would wear red on the day king Bhumibol Adulyadej was to be cremated.

Ekachai Hongkangwan, 42, was taken by 11 soldiers from his house in Bangkok early yesterday, supposedly to Kanchanaburi province, 125km west of the capital, according to friends who spoke to him on the phone at the time of his arrest.

“He told me the soldiers gave him a choice between a resort in Kanchanaburi or a military camp there,” said Anon Nampa, Ekachai’s friend and human rights lawyer.

“He said he should be back by October 27, before turning off his phone. I couldn’t reach him afterwards,” Anon said.

Thailand dons black this month to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the king’s death and out of respect for the cremation ceremony scheduled for tomorrow.

Thais’ emotions are running high, with many social media users criticising others for not wearing black. A Thai celebrity was recently under fire for wearing red while holidaying in Hungary. The incident drove Ekachai to protest such behaviour by declaring he would wear red tomorrow.

Ekachai previously served two years and eight months in prison for selling CDs with contents deemed to insult the monarchy.

Thailand’s tough lese-majesty law prohibits criticism of, and insults towards, the royal family. – dpa