Junta exacerbating seriousness of T-shirt case

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION

 

A motorcycle taxi driver, identified only as Wannapha, is released on Bt200,000 bail yesterday after nearly a week of detention without charges. She now faces sedition charges.

 

So-called secessionist movement just a handful of ‘powerless’ people, say critics.
 

JUNTA LEADERS were slammed yesterday for panicking and overreacting by arresting a woman over alleged possession of T-shirts with a federal theme.

 

Political observers said the group, identified as “Organisation for Thai Federation”, which junta No 2 General Prawit Wongsuwan accused of actively trying to overthrow the monarchy in a neighbouring country, was in fact an association of only a handful of people and lacking any power to realise its aspiration.

 

The comments were in response to statements on Tuesday from Prawit and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that there was a secessionist movement running deep in the Kingdom. So far the only tangible evidence presented to the public has been limited to a small number of T-shirts bearing a small red-and-white flag. The flag was alleged to be a symbolic representation of federalist aspirations.

 

Prawit accused Chucheep Cheevasut, also known as Uncle Sanamluang, of being the key movement leader. 

 

Chucheep is a red-shirt extremist believed to be living in exile in a neighbouring country. His political activities seem largely limited to uploading to YouTube his so-called underground broadcasts bearing strong political messages. 

 

The YouTube channel had over 145,000 followers, with each video reaching thousands or tens of thousands of views. And the Organisation for Thai Federation Facebook page had less than a thousand followers with low engagement. 

 

Weng Tojirakarn, a key leader in the red-shirt umbrella group United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, said yesterday the government was exacerbating the situation, possibly for its own political gain.

 

This is the same old ploy to use security reasons to justify the junta’s grip on power, Weng said.

 

“In fact, the group is rather powerless. They isolated themselves from the UDD almost 10 years ago. And I believe that they only have perhaps one to three people in the movement,” the red-shirt leader told The Nation. “They are completely impotent. And the junta is making a mountain out of a molehill.”

 

Political scientist Chamnan Chan-ruang said the junta was overreacting. The group was underground and had always been recognised by a very small number of people until the government made a big deal out of it, he said.

 

More importantly, the political scientist said their aspiration was not necessarily anti-monarchist. A federation and a republic were two different types of states and the former very often had a monarch as head of state, he explained.

 

“So, I’m pretty shocked that not one, but two rulers of the country made such ignorant comments equating a federation with the overthrow of the monarchy,” the expert said. 

 

“Plus, I think it is absurd to arrest people over some vague and unknown symbol. It’s their right to have some political ideological preferences. If this became the norm, then the hammer and sickle or the five-pointed red star would be considered illegal, too.”

Political scientist Wanwichit Boonprong sees the issue as about an imminent threat. 

 

The symbol is comparable to the Nazi swastika in terms of controversy, he said. The junta was not being over-sensitive by taking the matter in its hand, he said. 

 

These political messages had been distributed through social media and could be open to different interpretations, Wanwichit said. The security forces were being decisive in trying to stop the movement before it did any damage, he said. 

 

While some critics suspected the junta leader’s actions to be an attempt to gain justification for another election delay, Wanwichit said he believed the threat was real. 

 

The junta knows very well that if the whole thing turned out to be a hoax, it could expect a severe blowback, he argued.

 

Wanwichit said it was still a smart move to bring the issue to light now, and gave the junta some justification to remain in politics.

 

In a related development, the motorcycle-taxi rider identified only as Wannapha was released yesterday on a bail of Bt200,000 after being in the Army’s custody for six days.

 

She has been accused of sedition and crimes of secret association, as the authority found she had 400 alleged federal T-shirts in her possession. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30354323

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-13

There has to be some reason to buy those submarines, doesn't there?

 

 

 

sedition.  One of the crowning words used by places without free elections throughout the world

Ridiculous. Trying to treat a poor woman simply trying to earn a few extra baht to feed her family, like some super villain from a Hollywood movie wanting to overthrow civilisation. Pathetic and unbelievably sad. I hope this backfires on them badly. It shows the desperate measures they will go to to try to hold on to their illegitimately gained power as long as possible.

Just Pinocchio and Little Fatty's excuse to delay election so they can get a little bit extra out of the trough

7 minutes ago, a977 said:

Just Pinocchio and Little Fatty's excuse to delay election so they can get a little bit extra out of the trough

All apart of the theatre...

An illegitimate government just stirring things up trying to make it look like they are helping protect the country, bs.

Just another ploy to hang on to power/ scrape the trough for a bit longer.

Is sedition illegal?

Sedition is the crime of revolting or inciting revolt against government. However, because of the broad protection of free speech under the first amendment, prosecutions for sedition are rare. ... Governments have made sedition illegal since time immemorial.

 

government petty small people.

Edited September 12, 20187 yr by akampa

The junta are doing a lot of controversial stuff just before an election is scheduled by Feb to May next year. Wonder what their end game is? 

What is wrong with a federation? Look at Switzerland... And even Belgium has a king.

 

Once more the Junta thugs show their immaturity and cowardice by hysterically hiding behind ridiculously manufactured issues.

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 20187 yr by Hayduke

So she was held without charge and then forced to pay 200,000 baht bail without a charge being laid is that legal ?

Desperate to find an enemy and a reason to continue with repressive non-democratic rules they will jump on anything and try to make a case for it. Pathetic.

 

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Ridiculous. Trying to treat a poor woman simply trying to earn a few extra baht to feed her family, like some super villain from a Hollywood movie wanting to overthrow civilisation. Pathetic and unbelievably sad. I hope this backfires on them badly. It shows the desperate measures they will go to to try to hold on to their illegitimately gained power as long as possible.

Things can be really bad if one is singled out as the one to be made an example of.

Even if the “Organisation for Thai Federation” has ambition to overthrow the current military government, there should not be a legal problem because coups are not illegal.

 

Remember this:

 

BANGKOK 22.06.18  : The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the efforts of 15 pro-democracy activists to prosecute junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha for armed insurgency for orchestrating the military coup four years ago.
In its ruling, the court upheld the verdicts of two lower courts that dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the coup had not breached laws. 
 

 

2 hours ago, rkidlad said:

The junta are doing a lot of controversial stuff just before an election is scheduled by Feb to May next year. Wonder what their end game is? 

Remaining in power.

 

They have three basic options.

 

Plan A: cancelling/postponing elections indefinitely due to the risk of sedition, treason and threats to "order". This episode is part of that.

 

Plan B:

ensuring that the way the election is conducted and the way that the ballots are "interpreted", according to the Byzantine system they have put in place, so cripples the political process that  the (appointed) senate has the casting vote in appointing an "outsider" Prime Minister.

 

Plan ??

standing and winning.

Perhaps a tad risky?

Edited September 13, 20187 yr by JAG

5 hours ago, webfact said:

'... the junta is making a mountain out of a molehill.”'

Well, certainly Prawit has some similarity to a mole.

3 hours ago, akampa said:

Sedition is the crime of revolting

If revolting is a crime, ol' fatty should get 4000 years. 

2 hours ago, keith101 said:

So she was held without charge and then forced to pay 200,000 baht bail without a charge being laid is that legal ?

NO but since when has this so called leader worried about legality.

why can a article like this be written? doesn't it indirectly support these dangerous people?    

So they are following the Turkish model blame everything that does not fit the model on shadows supposition and hearsay ?

It's in the nature of idiots to be idiotic, and this is a prime example on what idiots do to prove their idiocy.

3 hours ago, akampa said:

Is sedition illegal?

Sedition is the crime of revolting or inciting revolt against government. However, because of the broad protection of free speech under the first amendment, prosecutions for sedition are rare. ... Governments have made sedition illegal since time immemorial.

 

government petty small people.

If it is the present self imposed government must all be guilty so better imprison themselves 

5555555555

3 hours ago, Lungstib said:

Desperate to find an enemy and a reason to continue with repressive non-democratic rules they will jump on anything and try to make a case for it. Pathetic.

 

And another mysterious weapons cache is found in 4, 3, 2, 1,.....

The Mockingjay trilogy is just fiction, but the point about the sign of resistance to tyranny and the response it evokes from tyrants is apropos in this situation.  If ignored it can't build strength; if fed by making martyrs out of otherwise good people, it takes on a life of its own.  History is replete with examples for the short-of-sight and narrow-of-mind. 

1 hour ago, thaiguzzi said:

And another mysterious weapons cache is found in 4, 3, 2, 1,.....

.....followed by a delay of democratic elections in 4, 3, 2, 1,......

"The Prime Minister has confirmed that the ban on political activities won't be lifted just yet, in order to prevent probable disorder..."

 

Democracy = "probable disorder"  Wash, rinse, repeat............

13 hours ago, rkidlad said:

The junta are doing a lot of controversial stuff just before an election is scheduled by Feb to May next year. Wonder what their end game is? 

Kind of hope they keep it up and that the media keeps reporting it....maybe it will open up some eyes and have a positive impact at the polls....if there really is an election.

16 hours ago, webfact said:

The symbol is comparable to the Nazi swastika in terms of controversy, he said.

Eh .! The Swastika was hi-jacked by the Nazi's and is inseparable from the horrors of that time that they perpetrated .. A woman in possession of a small number of tee-shirts bearing a symbol said to aspire to a federal state which is open to interpretation does not bear comparison to a regime responsible for some of mankinds worst atrocities ever .. It shows a distant lack of understanding of how reviled the Swastika has now become to draw that comparison .. But then that you can openly buy stuff here bearing the Swastika and SS symbols kind of sums up that lack of understanding .. 

 

16 hours ago, webfact said:

So far the only tangible evidence presented to the public has been limited to a small number of T-shirts bearing a small red-and-white flag. The flag was alleged to be a symbolic representation of federalist aspirations

 

11 hours ago, JAG said:

Remaining in power.

 

They have three basic options.

 

Plan A: cancelling/postponing elections indefinitely due to the risk of sedition, treason and threats to "order". This episode is part of that.

 

Plan B:

ensuring that the way the election is conducted and the way that the ballots are "interpreted", according to the Byzantine system they have put in place, so cripples the political process that  the (appointed) senate has the casting vote in appointing an "outsider" Prime Minister.

 

Plan ??

standing and winning.

Perhaps a tad risky?

Or Plan whatever : 

 

The usual twisted counter coup. 

Don't ever misinterpret their agenda.

If this lady represents the size of the Junta's "enemies", they could have saved billions on unwanted military equipment.  God help them if they ever encounter a real enemy.