Chiang Mai: Charged academics ask prosecutors to order police interview witnesses

[webfact]

Charged academics ask prosecutors to order police interview witnesses

By The Nation

 

 

CHIANG MAI: -- A noted social scientist and four other participants of a recent international academic forum held at Chiang Mai University petitioned prosecutors on Monday to order that police collect witness testimonies.

 

They want the police to interview witnesses to the event who they believe would support their contention that participants did not violate the junta’s ban on political gatherings as has been claimed.

 

Police have so far refused to interview the witnesses, the petitioners wrote.

 

Chayan Vaddhanaphuti co-organised the July 15-18 forum entitled International Conference on Thai Studies.

He and four conference participants were charged after the four participants, but not Chayan, displayed a banner at the event that read, “This was not a military camp but an academic forum”.

 

Those charged have met police twice with police to acknowledge the charges against them as well as submitting documents as their evidence against the charges.

 

Chayan is a respected academic and director of the university’s Regional Centre for Social Science and Sustainable Development,

 

In the petition, the accused insisted on their innocence and requested that prosecutors order the police to collect testimonies from their five witnesses.

 

The prosecutors responded that they would look into the petition before deciding whether they would indict the five.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30326420

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-09-12

[Thaiwrath]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

to order that police collect witness testimonies.

Not sure that comes under their job description ?

It could be classed as work !

[Thechook]

The junta says your guilty and that's it, evidence to prove otherwise is not permitted.

[rkidlad]

Just children playing at being adults. There are no rules, laws, stipulations, etc. All just made up as they go along. Zero consistency. 

 

Reminds me of when I was child playing cops and robbers, etc. At least our rules were loosely based on real life. And we were 9 years old. 

[yellowboat]

The government has let this fester far too long.  Even under the crazy rules imposed by the junta, the only real evidence that violates junta law is the banner.  Are these men going to be convicted because of a banner or because of the content of their discussions?  It seems like Thailand cannot even fairly administer their unfair laws.  

Edited September 12, 2017 by yellowboat

[YetAnother]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

They want the police to

intelligence they have, perhaps, however, astonishingly, they do not grasp the Fact that the thai police are Not here to protect and serve; they are organized crime and have their own agendas