Anti-coup students held in remand after trial begins in military court

[djlest]

The fact is the junta made clear laws than no gatherings of over 5 persons that may cause more rifts between the people were allowed while they stepped in. Everyone understands this, students or not they broke the current law.
There is no democracy in Thailand now and to be honest there never really has been, so we cant compare things to back home, its like apples and oranges.

They broke the law, protesting is usually not just for protesters sake to vent some frustration - protesting is an effort to gather more supporters and groups and rallies and media and then an uprising or takeover, otherwise whats the point?

[roamer]

I'll bite if only to put a spanner in the works of some of the stupid comments so far. I support the junta but not everything they do.

Despite some doubts whether they are being egged on by 'certain' political groups or not - Jatuporn's support certainly gives some credence to that view - I totally condemn putting them on trial in a military court. Almost treated as badly as Palestinians by Israel who face the same severe reduction in justice.

I applaud their courage and have hopes that the junta will look again - they've already allowed appeals which were not formerly a part of military courts - and, if they have to put these people on trial, at least do it in a civilian court.

I sort of agree and indeed I back what ExPratt said in respect that it was a crime against a military decree and thus the military court was used. I can live with that as seems fair to me under the current circumstances of the temporary Junta Government.

Why oh why though cannot folk just tow the line for now. We have what I sincerely feel is a fair and honourable temporary junta Government. They are proposing what appears so far to be an excellent charter for sensible electoral reform proposing the only true democratic system there is and that is Proportional Representation (PR) and the German flavour of that as proposed gives a pretty sound democracy too. On top of that they are proposing a full referendum for the Thai people to accept or reject that charter once it is clearly explained to everyone how it will work and why it will work so much better. Hopefully then Thailand can finally have true and fair democracy and the true will of the Thai majority will finally be a highly desirable reality, certainly I for one will welcome that very much.

So come on folk STOP complaining and just tow the line for now and wait and see what the final charter says and what the results are of the peoples' referendum next January. Why oh why do some trouble makers have to stir things up, is it any wonder that they get arrested in the circumstances. Just be patient as these things cannot happen overnight but once we have this proposed true PR based democracy here then for sure full free speech can return as is sensible and right. But worth noting that with PR then surely we all can and should accept the elected Government as the people's democratic and true free will. There should then be no more minority elected Governments that give understandable fuel to uprisings and political turmoil amongst the people who cannot accept the will of a Government with only say 40% of the electorate who voted for it, as that is truly an undemocratic minority elected Government as we see all too often in my home country of the UK so often and indeed right now.

You claim your home country to be the UK but have no problems with a military junta. Just the "troublemakers" who stir things up for protesting against what the rest of the world sees as the overthrow of a democratically elected government. And you can't see the hypocrisy of supporting a coup to get proportional representation?

Can't really take anyone seriously who can use the phrase "fair and honorable temprorary junta Government"

[roamer]

"Actually, this is not beyond our expectation, especially mine," Piyarat said. "You can't [carry out] a kamikaze [attack] ..."

Kamikaze attack? Did I miss something or is the PM becoming a bit hysterical?

Amazing how fearful the Junta is of fourteen students.

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Robert F Kennedy.

[ExPratt]

EU slams sedition charges against Thai anti-coup student activists

Published on Jun 30, 2015 1:33 PM

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BANGKOK (AFP) - The European Union hit out at Thailand's junta on Tuesday for pursuing sedition charges against a group of anti-coup student activists, describing their arrest and prosecution in a military court as a "disturbing development".

The fourteen detained students are part of a small network of pro-democracy campaigners who have dared to publicly challenge Thailand's military rulers after they seized power from an elected government last year and imposed severe curbs on civil liberties.

They were detained on Friday after holding a protest at Bangkok's Democracy Monument the previous day and charged with sedition, a national security offence that carries up to seven years in jail.

Their case is being handled by a military court which usually holds hearings behind closed doors and to which there is no right of appeal once convict

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/eu-slams-sedition-charges-against-thai-anti-coup-student-activists-2#sthash.PRbJ6msK.dpuf

[lildragon]

The usual Junta cheer leading brigade have seemed to of given this thread a wide berth.

I wonder why that is.

[roamer]

EU slams sedition charges against Thai anti-coup student activists

Published on Jun 30, 2015 1:33 PM

0 0 0 0PRINTEMAIL

BANGKOK (AFP) - The European Union hit out at Thailand's junta on Tuesday for pursuing sedition charges against a group of anti-coup student activists, describing their arrest and prosecution in a military court as a "disturbing development".

The fourteen detained students are part of a small network of pro-democracy campaigners who have dared to publicly challenge Thailand's military rulers after they seized power from an elected government last year and imposed severe curbs on civil liberties.

They were detained on Friday after holding a protest at Bangkok's Democracy Monument the previous day and charged with sedition, a national security offence that carries up to seven years in jail.

Their case is being handled by a military court which usually holds hearings behind closed doors and to which there is no right of appeal once convict

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/eu-slams-sedition-charges-against-thai-anti-coup-student-activists-2#sthash.PRbJ6msK.dpuf

UN also echoing the call. Clever move by the students not to seek bail, keeps the spotlight on this.

I think this is brilliant:

Interim Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he did not have to clarify the issue with the EU and that Thais must be under the Thai law.

"I have to thank the students and other agencies, which are not these 14 students. There are a lot of other good students. Wherever I go, they would come to praise me," he told reporters. "But these (arrested) students only wanted democracy and election."

How dare they!

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/UN-rights-office-urges-Thailand-to-free-14-6357257.php

Edited June 30, 2015 by roamer