Dao Din students awaken coup tensions
Harsh measures against the 14 Dao Din students have created a strong sentiment that puts the National Council for Peace and Order under pressure, says the Post Today political team.
The students were thrown into jail and are to be tried in a military court for defying the military ban against gatherings of five or more people. The students insist on their right to be tried in civilian court.
The political team said the students have finally gained recognition from those who may have underestimated them as they seemed to lack unity in their actions, it said.
The students, who have maintained their anti-coup stance from the start, take a chance in asserting their rights, it said.
Since the May 22 coup, the regime has suppressed political factions which might challenge its power to ensure the coup would not be a waste — a well-known term that refers to the failure of the 2006 coup to forge national unity.
Activists and politicians have been summoned for re-education including those who spoke in support of the student activists.
But, the political team said, it’s apparent the detention of the 14 students has ‘’awoken’’ other political groups to share the students’ anticoup cause.
The Dao Din group is known for standing up to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha — they flashed a three-fingered salute and wore “No to coup” T-shirts when he visited Khon Kaen province in November last year. They were detained briefly before the PM ordered their release.
But their arrest this time is quite different as they have earned wide support while anti-coup sentiments appear to grow.
Many regard the junta’s action as excessive as the students may face a minimum of three years’ imprisonment.
Lecturers have joined a signature campaign and stepped up calls for their immediate release. They also want criminal charges against the students to be dropped. Sharing their stance are lecturers in the US, rights groups and international organisations.
Since the students’ arrest, Facebook users have replaced their profile photos with a drawing of the 14 Dao Din group in a show of unity with the activists and to pressure the regime to free them.
“This means the students are no longer just a minority group,” the article said, adding this makes the case even more sensitive. Those involved must tread with care or the situation will escalate.
If anything, the campaign to support the Dao Din students underlines the coup-makers’ lack of legitimacy, the team said. On Wednesday, a Thammasat students group, the League of Liberal Thammasat for Democracy (LLTD), showed unity with the Dao Din group by confining themselves in a mock prison cage adjacent to the university’s Tha Prachan campus.
The political desk voiced concerns, however, that some “old powers” or political opportunists may take this opportunity to cause mischief, which could damage the student movement.
Luck was against him
A Facebook member has urged underground lottery gamblers to be careful when jotting down their numbers, as the law may find out they have had an illegal flutter.
Weerawat Thongthae said he wrote his two- and three digit numbers on the back of a traffic fine receipt and when stopped by police at another checkpoint, handed the paper to the officers to prove he had already paid the fine.
However, the officers spotted right away that Weerawat had tried his luck in the illegal underground lottery and fined him.
Weerawat did not disclose how much he had to pay for the gambling fine. Obviously the numbers he chose were against him that day. His post was widely shared on social media. Most poked fun at the man’s double bad luck, while many said his absent-minded error should serve as a lesson.
Monk needs a quick shave
The story of a monk who had his head shaved at a salon became a hot online issue yesterday.
A netizen took photos of the monk, who was not identified, at a salon in Chon Buri and shared it on his Facebook page, with the message “As you please, Reverend”.
The post was widely shared on social media, with criticism. By tradition, monks have their head shaved twice a month at the temple where they stay.
A hairdresser at Smart Barber, in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha, said he has provided service to the monk quite a few times. Each time, the monk would leave a 100-baht banknote and leave. He did not know where the monk stays.
Some netizens who followed the reports thought it’s not a good idea for the monk to get a haircut outside the temple.
Phra Plad Sompop Kittiyano, abbot of Wat Ratniyomdham and head of the tambon Sri Racha Sangha Council, said the monk has committed a mild breach of the rules by using a commercial service.