Activist’s Skywalk satire cut short by police

By The Nation

 

 

After less than a minute of a solo arts performance apparently satirising one of the junta leaders, Chatchai Kaedam was cut short by police officers monitoring his “Panama dance” on Tuesday.
 

The activist was wearing a paper mask with a cartoon face of Kent Cheng, a Hong Kong actor who is widely regarded as a lookalike of Deputy Premier and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, when he was approached by officers from Yannawa police station in Bangkok.

 

Up to 100 uniformed and plainclothes officers had been keeping a close watch on Chatchai, as well as a number of local and foreign press members.

 

Chatchai insisted that he had broken none of the laws that some of his fellow activists had previously fallen foul of.

 

As a solo performer, he said, he could not have broken the junta’s ban on political gatherings of five or more people. 

 

Moreover, his place of performance – on the Skywalk in Sathorn district – was not within a 150-metre radius of a Royal Palace, hence he could not have violated the Public Assembly Act, he added.

 

“I insist that I’ve not come to assemble. I’m here to perform arts,” said the activist from the Young People for Social Democracy Movement.

 

“It depends on how you interpret it. My performance is meant to reflect society. I will keep performing until a person behind the mask steps away,” he said, apparently alluding to Deputy PM Prawit.

 

Pol Colonel Ponnarong Suriyachaiwong, superintendent at Yannawa police station, said the police had merely “invited” Chatchai for a talk, without pressing any charges against him.

 

“Despite being a lone performer, he drew a lot of attention from people and the media. His action could also trigger further assemblies,”

 

Ponnarong suggested, adding, “It also obstructed public transport.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30338137

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-07

Brilliant use of 100 cops, bravo RTP and NCPO. I mean the only upside I guess is that as they were here they at least weren't out shaking some other innocent persons down

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

said the police had merely “invited” Chatchai for a talk, without pressing any charges against him.

 

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

Despite being a lone performer, he drew a lot of attention from people and the media. His action could also trigger further assemblies,”

 

They sure are running scared now... Any sign of dissent is being stamped out quick sharp !!!!

Getting attention from people and the media ??? Lock that sucker up....

3 hours ago, z42 said:

I mean the only upside I guess is that as they were here they at least weren't out shaking some other innocent persons down

I'm quite sure the photographers were flinched for a few thousand baht to get through their un-uniformed ring to take some photos !

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“Despite being a lone performer, he drew a lot of attention from people and the media. His action could also trigger further assemblies,”

It is not his actions triggering assemblies.  It is the overwhelming enforcement of stifling laws that are making people wanting to assemble.  One guy being watched by 100 cops says it all. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

After less than a minute of a solo arts performance apparently satirising one of the junta leaders,

hmmm; now satire is illegal

15 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

hmmm; now satire is illegal

Funny to think that satire is illegal here - when the whole of Thailand is one larger-than-life, whopping great daily satire!

Edited February 7, 20188 yr by Eligius

3 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

 

They sure are running scared now... Any sign of dissent is being stamped out quick sharp !!!!

Getting attention from people and the media ??? Lock that sucker up....

Seems to me that with 100 police onlooking that this definitely violated the assembly laws. Even if only 4 were there as onlookers and not in the government or police. Good work RTP for staging the perfect entrapment

4 hours ago, z42 said:

Brilliant use of 100 cops, bravo RTP and NCPO. I mean the only upside I guess is that as they were here they at least weren't out shaking some other innocent persons down

 

Shades of the chap they descended on who was eating a sandwich and reading a book ("1984"). The Junta cannot really allow any form of expression of independence, for if they do more will join in, and the coup and all subsequent machinations to manage the masses will have been for naught. The only option is to rule with an iron fist and suppress all forms of expression. Not sure where this might end?

 

 

Edited February 7, 20188 yr by mtls2005

100 cops, to watch a one-man- satire show?!

Now I get, why Thailand has such a low unemployment rate!

police state

Photographer Nick Nostitz in the white tee shirt @ 20 secs in the video.

Edited February 7, 20188 yr by katana

13 hours ago, YetAnother said:

hmmm; now satire is illegal

It's worse than that. APPARENT satire is illegal, although maybe the junta will turn a blind eye if you assemble in groups of less than one. Maybe.

 

And these clowns think that setting up their own party might win them an election?