7 charged for leading protest against Thai junta

BANGKOK: Seven activists were charged with sedition yesterday for leading a protest over the weekend against the ruling military government for postponing a general election for the fourth time.

Police have charged and summonsed the activists after a junta representative filed a complaint, said Popthorn Jitman, police commander of Bangkok’s Pathumwan district.

On Saturday, more than 100 pro-democracy protesters gathered in central Bangkok to demand elections after the junta’s rubber-stamp parliament voted to delay polls last week.

It was a rare show of dissent in Thailand, which has been ruled by a military junta since a coup in 2014. Many civilians have been arrested and put under military detention for defying the junta’s ban on political gatherings.

If found guilty of sedition, the activists could face up to seven years in prison.

Despite the charges, the group vowed to stage another protest next month to oust the junta.

“If we don’t do anything, there will be another postponement,” the group said in a Facebook statement.

The protest came after the Thai parliament passed a motion last week to defer the enforcement of an election law by three months, possibly pushing back the election planned for November to early 2019.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on Monday denied having promised an election this year, although he announced last year it would be held in November.

Initially promising to stay in power for only one year, the junta has postponed election dates several times since, citing the need to see through its reforms and ensure national security. – dpa