Students and activists in the Deep South have been indicted for sedition for a mock referendum on self determination held in June 2023. All the defendants were granted provisional bail. 

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, five activists and students were indicted for sedition and criminal association, and one was indicted for violation of the Computer Crimes Act after staging a mock referendum during a seminar on the “Right to Self Determination” on 7 June 2023.

The event was organised by the Patanian Student Movement, known as Pelajar Bangsa, a student activist group, at the Prince of Songkla University’s Patani campus. The activity included a mock referendum in which participants were asked, “Do you agree that the right to self determination allows the Patani people to legally vote in a referendum for independence?”

The public prosecutor stated that the event, which was open to the public and live streamed on Facebook, encouraged members of the public to cast their votes in a mock referendum on self determination, a highly sensitive issue which could lead to conflict.  The prosecutor argued that the act amounted to criminal association, which could result in a one year imprisonment.

As for sedition and violation of the Computer Crimes Act, the prosecutor concluded that the defendants’ actions - reading statements and describing details of the event - caused public unrest and encouraged people to break the law.

The leader of the group, Irfan Uman, who facilitated the live stream on the Facebook, was also charged with violating the Computer Crimes Act.

Following the ruling, the defendants were granted provisional bail with 100,000 baht as security for each.

A National Human Rights Commission investigation into Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) against activists in the Deep South revealed that government officials in the area make heavy use of the law to restrict freedom of expression.