Court grants bail to Prachathai reporter and 4 New Democracy members



BANGKOK: -- Four members of the New Democracy Movement and a Prachathai Online news reporter were granted bail by Ratchaburi provincial court Monday afternoon after their detention was extended by the court as requested by police enquiry officers.

The lawyer of the five suspects, Ms Pavinee Chumsri, posted a surety of 140,000 baht each to bail them out. They were released at 5 pm to the welcome of several supporters.

The four New Democracy Movement members namely Pakorn Areekul, Anant Lokate, Anucha Rungmorakot, Panuwat Songsawatchai and Prachathai Online news reporter Thaweesak Kerdpokha were charged with defying the Referendum Act after police found documents deemed provocative in their car.

After his release on bail, Pakorn told the media he didn’t know what offence he had committed. He claimed that his group came to Ratchaburi to give moral support to a group of Ban Pong residents charged with illegal assembly in defiance of the NCPO’s order.

He went on saying that his group would seek an explanation from the Election Commission or the Constitution Drafting Committee what is wrong with their documents which has landed them in detention.

Meanwhile, CDC spokesman Udom Rath-amarit said Monday that the CDC’s subcommittee had ruled that the New Democracy Movement’s documents outlining seven reasons to reject the draft charter were misleading and a distortion of facts which may cause public hatred.

He said the CDC had proposed three options to deal with this issue: the CDC to lodge a petition with the police against the New Democracy group; to refer the case to the Election Commission to deal with the group; and not to take any action.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/172119-2/

-- Thai PBS 2016-07-12

Which suggests that "debate" rather than critiscism is deemed legitimate enough to allow discretion and judiciary interpretation as to legitimacy.

Far less suppressive in reality to the mandatory application at will of the "Home Security Bill ".