An activist has been sentenced to two years in prison for violating the Emergency Decree and three other offences, after he burned a straw man and photos of government members and senators during a protest in 2021. He was later granted bail.

Nawapol "Dino" Tonngam

(Photo: iLaw)

Nawapol “Dino” Tonngam, a member of the activist group Thalufah, was indicted for violating the Emergency Decree and vandalism after he was accused of burning a straw man and photos of government members and senators during a protest at the Democracy Monument on 19 August 2021.

He was accused of persuading people to join a political activity to demand the resignation of then PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and hanging a banner with the message “Tyrant in disguise (of a good person)” at the Monument. The activist set fire to the straw man and the photos in question, causing a total of 157,000 baht of damage to the public road.

Nawapol faced four charges: arson resulting in injury, causing damage to property, vandalism, and violating the Emergency Decree. After being indicted in 2022, Nawapol was detained overnight before being granted provisional bail.

The court concluded on Thursday that he attended the protest while the Emergency Decree was in force. As a protest leader, Nawapol also persuaded protesters to burn the straw man, which could have caused fire to spread widely and damaged the road surface.

Nawapol was found guilty of all charges. The court stated that his one action constituted multiple offences, so the sentence was based on the violation with the heaviest penalty, resulting in three years in prison. Due to his useful testimony, the penalty was reduced to two years without parole. On the same day, Nawapol was granted bail with 100,000 baht as security without any condition.

Six other protesters in the protest were indicted under the Emergency Decree, the Public Cleanliness Act, the Road Traffic Act, and the Sound Amplifier Act. The court ruled to impose fines only.