Watana trial over missing-plaque comments set for next October

By Kesinee Tangkhieo 
The Nation

 

The trial of Pheu Thai Party core leader Watana Muangsook over a Facebook post on the missing plaque commemorating the 1932 Siamese revolution has been set by the court to commence in October next year.

The Criminal Court decided on Monday that it would hear from both the plaintiff and the defendant, with 11 hearings for each, after Watana had been accused of sedition and committing a computer crime for posting on Facebook his opinion regarding the disappearance of the historical plaque in the middle of this year.

 

Watana on Monday denied the charges, arguing that the post in question was just a matter of him exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression.

 

Since the military coup in 2014, Watana – who held a number of ministerial portfolios in previous administrations – has faced several criminal charges, including violating the computer crime law for criticising the junta leader on the Facebook platform, and violating a release-from-custody condition set by the junta that banned him from making any political moves.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30334246

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-19

Typical authoritarian response. What should be civil suit here can get you in the slammer. I wonder if junta took advice of hard to find  book: "Who controls the present controls the past. Who controls the past controls the future"?

 You are free to express your love and respect for government all you wish, so they probably see glass as half full

I doubt he'll be jailed, maybe a year ago but not now

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Watana on Monday denied the charges, arguing that the post in question was just a matter of him exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression.

does that guy live in current-day thailand ? or does he just use wishful-thinking instead of thinking ?

43 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

does that guy live in current-day thailand ? or does he just use wishful-thinking instead of thinking ?

Under the juntas constitution he had the right to make the comment. But the junta dont like constitutions nor the truth. 

Watana's charges beg the question whether the military-led government is ready to restore civilian rule and democracy in the country:

https://advox.globalvoices.org/2017/08/06/thai-journalist-and-two-other-critics-of-military-led-government-face-sedition-charges-over-facebook-posts/