[Poonsuk
Poonsukcharoen, a lawyer advising Ms. Patnaree, said Ms. Patnaree had sent only
a one-word reply, “Ja,” acknowledging receipt of the Facebook message, similar
to saying “Yeah,” but had not expressed agreement with it or commented on its
content. The message was not made public, so as not to repeat the alleged
insult, as is typical in such cases. The sender of the message, Burin Intin, 28,
was arrested last month.]
By Richard C. Paddock
 |
Patnaree Chankij, center, the
mother of a pro-democracy activist,
at a military court in
|
The
activist’s mother, Patnaree Chankij, 40, who works as a maid, will be tried by
a military court under Thailand
On
Saturday, human rights activists called Ms. Patnaree’s arrest a day earlier a
“new low” for Thailand
Poonsuk
Poonsukcharoen, a lawyer advising Ms. Patnaree, said Ms. Patnaree had sent only
a one-word reply, “Ja,” acknowledging receipt of the Facebook message, similar
to saying “Yeah,” but had not expressed agreement with it or commented on its
content. The message was not made public, so as not to repeat the alleged
insult, as is typical in such cases. The sender of the message, Burin Intin, 28,
was arrested last month.
Col.
Olarn Sukkasem, the chief of the police’s Technology Crime Suppression Division,
told reporters that the authorities had enough evidence to show that the pair
had “carried out things together.” He did not provide specifics, saying the
investigation was continuing.
Human
Rights Watch said Saturday that the military junta in Thailand
Since
the coup two years ago, the authorities have brought 57 cases under the law, 44
of them involving online commentary, the rights group said.
Among
those who have been investigated under the law are a factory worker accused of
insulting the king’s dog; a scholar accused of insulting a king who died
centuries ago; and Ambassador Glyn T. Davies of the United States
“The
Thai junta has sunk to a new low by charging an activist’s mother under the
‘insulting the monarchy’ law, which has been systematically abused to silence
critics,” said Brad Adams, the Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “Prosecuting
someone for her vague response to a Facebook message is just the junta’s latest
outrageous twist of the lèse-majesté law.”
At
a news conference on Saturday, Colonel Olarn advised the public to exercise
caution when communicating online.
“If
you share this offending information, you must take responsibility for your act,
as well,” he said. Simply clicking “Like” on Facebook could be considered an
offense, he said.
He
also had a warning for journalists reporting on Ms. Patnaree’s arrest. “Right
now, it is under investigation,” he said. “Therefore, I would like you to be
careful in publishing information. Publishing false information can be
considered an offense.”
Ms.
Patnaree was denied bail because the severity of her potential sentence made
her a flight risk, Ms. Poonsuk said. Ms. Patnaree’s son, Sirawith Seritiwat, a
leading student activist, is out on bail on charges that he took part in a
banned protest.
At
a protest outside a Bangkok
“She’s
never expressed anything politically,” he said. “She’s never argued or debated
with anyone.”
He
added: “The junta is using my mother as a hostage. And I can tell you that this
is not a manly act. And this is not an act that a government should be doing to
its people.”
Ms.
Poonsuk, who is not officially representing Ms. Patnaree but accompanied her
when she turned herself in, said acknowledging a message with a single word was
not evidence that she had insulted the king or conspired with Mr. Burin to
commit a crime.
“I
haven’t seen any legal interpretation like this,” she said. “Just saying ‘yeah’
doesn’t mean that she should be considered an accomplice.”