Federation-emblem shirt treasonous, says Prawit

By Kas Chanwanpen 
The Nation 

 

 

Junta warns anyone wearing red and white flag will be arrested on charges of sedition
 

Junta leaders yesterday said possession of black T-shirts bearing a small flag with red and white stripes was “treason” and threatened to arrest everyone involved. 

 

Red-shirt hardcore activist Chucheep Cheevasut, better known as “Lung Sanamluang”, was named yesterday as a key leader of the alleged separatist movement “Federation of Thai States”, which promotes the shirts, by junta No 2 Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan.

 

General Prawit, who oversees security affairs, said the movement was active in Laos, but also had a large network in the Kingdom where they sell T-shirts with the contentious emblem. 

 

However, the junta’s security tsar also said the group had little impact as the movement was limited to social media, where it is allegedly promoting separatism and the overthrowing of the monarchy.

 

The Thai authorities plan to talk to their Lao counterparts to deport them, he said. 

 

The security forces have been following the movement for a long time, Prawit said. Some of them already face lese majeste and sedition charges, he said. 

 

“Now, three or four people have been arrested. And if we find anyone connected to this, we will arrest them all because this is an act of treason,” the deputy prime minister said. “The movement in Thailand is big. It’s led by Lung Sanamluang, or Chucheep Cheevasut.”

 

Prawit’s remark came after a female motorcycle-taxi rider was detained over her possession of a small number of black T-shirts bearing a the red and white flag.

 

The woman’s detention without charges, allowed by the junta order 3/2558, has sparked criticism since the incident came to light over the weekend. Critics said it was unreasonable to arrest people over a T-shirt that lacked a tangible message and had only a small emblem whose meaning was vague.

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said yesterday that  the authorities had already issued an arrest warrant and were actively investigating the case.

 

“Is the term ‘Federation of Thai States,’ legal? Is it an act of treason?” Prayut said, responding to media questions yesterday regarding what human rights advocates described as arbitrary arrest and detention. 

 

“Thailand is a single and indivisible Kingdom – that is what is stated in the Constitution.”

 

Prayut went on to say that the term “federation” suggested otherwise and was therefore against the law. 

 

There was a lot going on behind the scenes, Prayut said, adding that the government was not bullying anyone. 

 

Meanwhile, a political critic with legal expertise, who asked not to be named, said that arbitrary detention was a different story from security. 

 

“I understand that they may have their intelligence. But then, they should press charges and be transparent. It’s not right to arrest and detain people in military barracks, interrogating with no lawyers present. It’s against their rights,” he said.

 

Pawinee Chumsri, a human-rights lawyer defending the arrested woman, said yesterday she had been released from military custody and handed over to police for prosecution.

 

The junta may charge her with sedition, or a violation of Article 116 of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison, Pawinee said. The legal team will try to apply for bail, the lawyer said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30354271

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-12

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

Junta leaders yesterday said possession of black T-shirts bearing a small flag with red and white stripes was “treason” and threatened to arrest everyone involved. 

thailand's backslide continues with the dimmest end in sight; ultra conservative, myopic leadership may see many of us depart in the near future

Disgusting

 The resons not to choose Thailand increase almost daily.    

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

“Is the term ‘Federation of Thai States,’ legal? Is it an act of treason?” Prayut said, responding to media questions yesterday regarding what human rights advocates described as arbitrary arrest and detention. 

I have no idea. But I know staging a coup certainly is. However you didn't seem to have a problem with treason when you yourself were committing it.

But these are OK and openly sold at markets around the Kindom.

 

but all he has to do is give back ill gotten receipt of stolen property (land) of WW2, back to the Lao, the Cambods, and the Malays

Nothing gives this movement more publicity more quickly than the generals stamping their little feet.

2 hours ago, YetAnother said:

thailand's backslide continues with the dimmest end in sight; ultra conservative [nationalistic], myopic [anti-democracy] leadership [cleverly morphing the former LOS into an outright dictatorship] may see many of us depart in the near future

There, I fixed that for you YetAnother. 

3 hours ago, YetAnother said:

thailand's backslide continues with the dimmest end in sight; ultra conservative, myopic leadership may see many of us depart in the near future

When you are modelling the country along the lines of North Korea with Pol Pot as a role model then there is a lot more to come  before it ends.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

However, the junta’s security tsar 

Security Tsar .! Hahahaha they 'aving a laugh or something .. 

3 hours ago, BigBadGeordie said:

But these are OK and openly sold at markets around the Kindom.

They're outrageous, but to be fair the vast majority of purchasers, and vendors, will have no idea whatsoever what the logo means.

 

Mind you, we should never cease hurling abuse, scorn or whatever noxious substance comes to hand at any European we see wearing one.

 

I remember a (falang) fellow here in Chiang Rai who used ride around with one of those WWII style German helmets, complete with SS runes and swastica and eagle. He really didn't like it when you took a photo of him at the traffic lights. He liked it even less when you took the piss out of him. But I don't think he was committing treason.

 

Any way I digress.

 

If patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, perhaps accusations of treason are the last refuge of a coup-monger?

 

 

Edited September 12, 20187 yr by JAG

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Federation-emblem shirt treasonous, says Prawit

 

But wearing a uniform to hijack the government, subvert the country and illegally enrich oneself is just fine.

 

 

Edited September 12, 20187 yr by Hayduke

Just now, Hayduke said:

 

But wearing a uniform to hijack the government, subvert the country and illegally enrich oneself is just fine.

 

 

Especially if you can shoot a few nurses and bystanders in the process of achieving that end

As this comes from Mr. Watchtower, I fear next- wearing a Rolex, Franck Mueller, and Patek Philippe T-shirt will be considered as a silent protest, and will lead to a defamation and sedition suit. 

So black T-shirts are out now???   What color is going to be next?

 

Someone please tell me, so I can adjust my wardrobe accordingly....

15 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

So black T-shirts are out now???   What color is going to be next?

 

Someone please tell me, so I can adjust my wardrobe accordingly....

Obviously red.

You should be ok wearing  yellow,  yellow or yellow !

35 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

So black T-shirts are out now???   What color is going to be next?

 

Someone please tell me, so I can adjust my wardrobe accordingly....

Red, yellow and black are definitely out, you might try pink.

You couldn't make this up could you

 

Yellow shirt charged insurrection has appointed by the Junta. Hypocrisy in action jailing people people for T-shirts

 

Buddhipongse Punnakanta, a key leader of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protest, has been named the prime minister's deputy secretary-general for political affairs,
 

 

The good Minister of Rolex has probably just 'branded' the next revolution.  The more they inflate it, the more life it may take on.  Well, it does divert attention away of the watch-meister's nefarious 'dead-friend' time-piece fiasco. 

 

 

Edited September 12, 20187 yr by connda

Treasonous shirts.  Sounds very Trumplike.

Thais are too weak to do what needs to be done.

I have a T shirt with a red and white emblem on it, arrest me I will sue. I happen top be English whose national English Flag is red and white.

But to call it treasonous is a tad far fetched, but coming from a M<an who has given back to a dead man all his watches , I am sure he has lost the plot !!

 

The Swiss as well as the English have red and white on their flags, red Cross does as well in fact quite a few countries have red and white , see what a bloody farce it is !!

Edited September 12, 20187 yr by Khun Paul
adding a sentence

1 hour ago, Lupatria said:

As this comes from Mr. Watchtower, I fear next- wearing a Rolex, Franck Mueller, and Patek Philippe T-shirt will be considered as a silent protest, and will lead to a defamation and sedition suit. 

Don't give the toad ideas ......

Is it okay if the emblem is on the dial of my expensive watch? Covered by my long shirt sleeves, of course.

Are red shirts ok, or treason as well

I saw the headline "Federation-emblem shirt" and thought it was going to be about something really interesting 

32 minutes ago, Khun Paul said:

I have a T shirt with a red and white emblem on it, arrest me I will sue. I happen top be English whose national English Flag is red and white.

But to call it treasonous is a tad far fetched, but coming from a M<an who has given back to a dead man all his watches , I am sure he has lost the plot !!

 

The Swiss as well as the English have red and white on their flags, red Cross does as well in fact quite a few countries have red and white , see what a bloody farce it is !!

 

So did Thailand (or Siam to be strictly correct) back in 1916/17. The blue stripe was added during WWI to represent the allies which they were a part of.

Tourists take care!  Treason is so easy to commit here.

Laughable.

Austria, Belarus and Peru here.  Many similar.

Edited September 12, 20187 yr by greeneking
I added country names.

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

So black T-shirts are out now???   What color is going to be next?

 

Someone please tell me, so I can adjust my wardrobe accordingly....

Olive camouflage, you should know this by now. Envelope brown is also OK for official events ?