Thai military officers detained students activist in Isan, Thailand’s Northeast, for holding an anti-junta political activity in the first anniversary of 2014 coup d’état.
At 1:27pm on Friday, police and military officers arrested and detained seven student activists from Dao Din group, a student activist group based in Khon Kaen University of the northeastern province of Khon Kaen, in front of the province’s Democracy Monument replica.
Dao Din student activists hold a banner says "Against coup d'état" in front of the replica of the Democracy Monument in Khon Kaen on 22 May 2015
While arresting the students, the officers reportedly threatened to take legal actions against the students if they refuse cooperate with the authorities.
At 1:40 pm, the seven students were brought to Sri Phetcharat Military Base in the province and are currently under custody along with six others observants from some of which are from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
The seven were arrested shortly after they held a banner against the junta which simply says ‘against the coup d’état’. They also put up placards with various comments against the regime.
Military officers bring the student activists to the military camp at the province for dentention
Before the arrest, the group read out their stance against the junta, pointing out that the junta have roped away the authorities that all Thai people should have while enforcing authoritarian laws to suppress the people and sell off the country’s natural resources for business interest groups.
“We think that we are doing the right thing to criticise the government, which is the rights of every citizen. If the junta think that this is wrong, then this country has become a full dictatorship,” said Panupong Srithananuwat, one of Dao Din members.
In November 2014, five student activists from the group gave the three-fingered salute to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader. The students were immediately detained and later interrogated by the military. The military also involved their parents and threatened to have them fired from the university if they did not accept the junta’s conditions.