Thai police officers detained an elderly writer after he made comments about the new constitutional draft, saying that it might affect national security.
Police officers Saturday afternoon, 12 September 2015, detained a 74 years old independent writer known by his penname as Bundit Aneeya after he made suggestions at a seminar on the new constitution drafting process at Thammasat University, Tha Prachan Campus, Bangkok.
The speakers at the seminar include many pro-democracy figures, such as Rangsiman Rome, an anti-junta activist from New Democracy Movement (NDM), Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, a pro-democracy civil law scholar, and Chaturon Chaisang, a former Education Ministry, who recently has his passport revoked by Thai authorities.
There were reportedly several police and military officer some of whom were in plainclothes at the event. The officers claimed that they only attended the discussion to maintain security.
The suggestions from Bundit on the new constitution which is about to be redrafted after the National Reform Council (NRC) rejected it earlier this month was that it should be added in the new constitution that Thai people of all classes shall be equal and are all equal owners of the country.
Bundit Aneeya at Chanasongkram Police Sation on 12 September 2015
After such comment was made, the police from Chanasongkram Police Station summoned Bundit to the station when the seminar ended. He was detained at the station for the about three hours until about 7:45 pm.
According to Anon Numpa, a well known pro-democracy lawyer, who attended the seminar and followed Bundit to the police station. During the detention, the police brought Bundit into an interrogation room and requested to have words with him alone.
At the end he was released without charges. He told Prachatai without worries that he would not made such comments at public seminars again.
“I will not do this ever again, [I will] stop for this nation to prove that I’m not crazy,” said Bundit.
In March 2015, the military prosecutors indicted Bundit of offenses under Article 112 of the Criminal Crime Code, lese majeste law, for allegedly making comments about the Thai monarchy at a political seminar.
Bundit pleaded innocence and vowed to fight the case. He told Prachatai then “I believe I’m innocence and didn’t do anything wrong.”
According to the case filed by the prosecutor, the alleged lese majeste comments he made was;
“My point is now Thai people are separated into two sides: The one which is in favour of a monarchy which does not abide by the law, as the head of the state.”
He was arrested by the police before he could even finished another sentence.
Bundit has been released on 400,000 baht (12,270 USD) bail due to his age and poor health. He is one of the few lese majeste suspects granted bail by the military court.
The writer, who has been diagnosed with psychosis, has only one kidney and has to carry a urine drainage bag with him all the time.
Earlier in February 2014, the self-taught writer and translator, who has written and translated over 30 books, was found guilty by the Supreme Court under Article 112 for his comments at another previous seminar he attended and sentenced to four years in jail, but the jail term was suspended for three years due to his mental illness. The allegedly lese majeste comment that he made also pointed out the general opinion of Thais toward the monarchy. If convicted again, his jail terms will accumulate.