The Thai Military Court detained 14 embattled students activists accused of violating the Thai junta’s political assembly ban amid a crowd who came to give moral support to the students.
At 00:20 am on Saturday, the Bangkok’s Military Court granted custody permissions to detain 14 student activists who are accused of violating the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s Order No. 7/2014, which prohibits any political gathering of more than five persons for holding symbolic events to commemorate the 2014 coup d’état on 22 May.
People sing and write banner to give moral support to the 14.
At the court, a defense lawyer of the 14 submitted a request against the custody permissions without success. The 14 will be detained under the first custody period of 12 days with the possibility of the custody permissions being renewed.
The 13 student activists were brought to Bangkok Remand Prison while the only female student activist of the group, Cholticha Jangrew, was brought to Central Women Correctional Institute in Bangkok.
People light up candles to support the student activists on the night of 26 June 2015 next to the Military Court of Bangkok
Earlier at 5:30 pm on Friday, the police officers arrested the 14 at their safe house, Suan Ngern Mee Ma, Charoen Krung, Bangkok and took them to the Phra Ratchawang Police Station for interrogation.
About 50 people came to give moral support to the group in time of the arrest.
At 00:30 on Saturday, the crowd led by members of Neo Democracy Movement (NDM), an anti-coup group, sang ‘Sang Daw Heng Sattha’ (the light of faith from the stars) and Song of the Commoners, Thai civil movement songs, to encourage the student activists while they were being transported to prisons.
Activists from Neo Democracy Movement Group sang in support of the 14. (left) Natchacha Kongudom, another renown student activist from Thai Student Center for Democracy (TSCD)
Some also held placards and lit up candles to give the embattled student activists moral support.
Seven of the 14 are student activists from Dao Din Group, a student activist group based in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. The rest are student activists from Thai Student Center for Democracy (TSCD) based in Bangkok.