The military sent police officers to interrogate a university lecturer in Isan suspected of hanging an anti-junta banner.
Two police officers on Thursday around 5pm came to Mahasarakham University in the northeastern province of Mahasarakham to interrogate Vinai Poncharoen, a lecturer of the Political Science Faculty of the university, at his office after he posted a picture of an anti-junta banner with the message “Down with the dictatorship, Democracy will triumph” on his facebook profile on Wednesday.
The anti-junta banner was first seen hanging in front of the Mahasarakham University’s gate on Wednesday morning.
The anti-junta banner reads “Down with the dictatorship, Democracy will triumph”, hangs in front of the Mahasarakham University on Wednesday morning
During the interrogation, Vinai told the police that he was not involved in putting up the banner, but he agreed with its statement and did not know who took parts in hanging it.
The police took pictures of Vinai and told him that they might have to come to collect his fingerprints again. They added that they were sent by the military.
Vinai added that there were a lot of police and military officers at the university on Wednesday who might have merely come to maintain security at the event co-organized by the Constitutional Court and the Political Science Faculty of the university. However, he added that he was informed by his friends that some officers asked for his whereabout.
Vinai mentioned that according to the police there are several other suspects of the anti-junta banner one of whom belongs to the Thai Student Center for Democracy (TSCD), an anti-juna student group. However, he told the police that TSCD students are not likely to be involved because they are in Bangkok.
Vinai said that he has been summoned by the authority twice after the 2014 coup because he is one of the 118 people who signed the Campaign Committee for the Amendment of Article 112’s statement and usually posted messages on social media against the lese majeste law. This might be the reasons why the authority suspected him for hanging the banner.