JATUPAT’S FATHER VOWS TO SEEK JUSTICE AMID UNCERTAINTY
Freedom remains elusive for activist after he was arrested six months ago for sharing controversial news story
Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, or Pai Dao Din, may have passed the last subject of his undergraduate course last Friday, but no one knows if he will be able to celebrate his graduation with friends at the end of this year. Since he was detained six months ago, it’s hard to say what the young activist, who was charged with lese majeste and offenses under the Computer Crime Act on Dec 22 last year, would be doing today if he were living like a free man.
Mr Jatupat’s father and lawyer wondered what his son would do if or when he is released.
“Perhaps he will go into the field to collect information about human rights violations. Or perhaps, he will return to Loei province where he will offer legal assistance to local communities,” said Viboon Boonpattaraksa, Mr Jatupat’s father and a lawyer.
Mr Viboon gathered with dozens of others at Chit Lom BTS station on Thursday to call for the release of Mr Jatupat.
But the gathering didn’t last long as 50 police officers who surrounded the event ordered them to gather their stuff
including face masks, bamboo sticks used to imitate prison bars and a sign and clear off within half an hour.
Last week marked sixth months since Jatupat was detained for sharing on his Facebook page a controversial article by the BBC.
He was charged with lese majeste offenses under article 112 of the Criminal Code and violation of the Computer Crimes Act. He may face a prison term of 15 years or more if he is found guilty.
After his arrest on Dec 2 last year, Mr Jatupat was initially released on bail. But his bail was later revoked by Khon Kaen provincial court on June 22, on the grounds that he had uploaded a post on Facebook, made satirical comments on authorities and failed to delete his original post about the controversial article.
Since then, his numerous requests for bail have been rejected.
Mr Jatupat has been challenging the military government since the coup in 2014. His most significant feat was when he and supporters of Dao Din, a student activist group based in Khon Kaen, managed to show up and present a three-finger salute — a symbol of democracy inspired by The Hunger Games — in front of the stage where Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was giving speech while visiting the province in 2014.
Before engaging in political activism, Jautapat and Dao Din were offering legal assistance to local communities affected by state developments.
They were monitoring gold mining in Loei province, where local communities claimed they had limited access to development participation.
Some of the community leaders were sued by a mining company for defamation and encroaching on the company’s property. Dao Din assisted the community in court proceedings.
Six months in prison has greatly affected the Boonpattararaksas. But they’re determined to stay strong.
“We discussed that falling deep in into grief would not solve anything. We needed to be strong and fight for [Jatupat] in the way we know best,” said Mr Viboon.
Mr Jatupat’s mother and friends regularly visited him in Khon Kaen prison, but each time they were only allowed five to 15 minutes with the young activist. Over 200 supporting letters, most of which were in foreign languages, were sent to Mr Jatupat.
In April, he won the 2017 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights from South Korea, but his detention prevented him from showing up at the awards presentation.
Mr Viboon said his son has lost some weight but remains in good spirits: “Sometimes he is well. Sometimes he shows anger towards the injustice of his case. Sometimes he said he wanted to get out.”
Many defendants of lese majeste cases end up admitting to the charges because the lengthy court process becomes too burdensome. Some decide to accept jail first then wait for a royal amnesty to shorten their term. However, Mr Jatupat has insisted he will fight the case.
“I think some acknowledgement of Pai’s case has become a taboo. Some people are too afraid to discuss it. And they also avoid speaking about him,” said Mr Viboon. Among the more than 2,800 people who shared the BBC Thai article, Mr Jatupat was the only person charged with lese majeste.
According to iLaw, an organisation monitoring human rights violations in Thailand, since 2014, when the military came to power, to May 17, 2017, at least 82 people were charged with lese majeste, 64 of whom were charged with sedition, 597 individuals were arrested and 300 civilians have been tried in military courts.
On June 21, over 30 military and police officers raided a house owned by the Dao Din group in Khon Kaen without a search warrant. The incident sparked public outcry over state-sanctioned rights violations.
Kornkanok Khumta, a fourth-year politics student, was also put in jail for a day for violating an order of the National Council for Peace and Order in early 2016.
“Only one day in jail already made me feel like I was suffering. Imagine if you have goals and things you want to achieve in the world; you would be extremely frustrated because you can’t do those things behind bars,” said Ms Kornkanok who was also facing an ongoing trial at the Military Court.
She was arrested when participating in a student activity called “boarding a train to Rajabhakti Park” in Hua Hin to investigate the military government’s alleged irregular spending in a bid for the park.
“If he were here, he would have continued his activism and inspired people especially young ones,” she said. She expressed her regret for seeing how young people like Mr Jatupat were being jailed in such a casual way.
Ms Kornkanok joined the New Democracy Movement (NDM), a pro-democracy student group based in Bangkok, in calling for structural change in Thailand’s administration to gain back democracy while networking with Mr Jatupat and Dao Din, who focused on strengthening grassroots activism upcountry.
Some young NDM l eaders also faced a series of charges for violating NCPO orders, resulting from their anticoup activities.
Joining the NDM was a way for Dao Din members to influence the democratic movement at grassroots levels.
“This should be what Pai would be doing if he were out here,” said Ms Kornkanok.