The police on Friday morning arrested and charged Pornthip M. with lèse majesté for her involvement with a political play about a fictional monarch, which has deemed lèse majesté by the police.
Earlier on Thursday the police arrested Patiwat S., a Khon Kaen University student and Secretary General of the Student Federation of the North East, and charged him with lèse majesté for the same play -- The Wolf Bride (เจ้าสาวหมาป่า), a play centred on a fictional monarch. Patiwat played the role of the king’s Brahmin advisor.
“The Wolf Bride” was performed in October 2013 at the Main Auditorium, Thammasat University, Bangkok, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 14 October Popular Uprising.
The play was organized by former members of the now-defunct Prakai Fai Karn Lakorn, part of the left-leaning Prakai Fai group.
Pornthip, 25, was former coordinator of Prakai Fai Karn Lakorn.
On Saturday, the court rejected her bail request.
Portnthip S. at the Criminal Court as she is waiting for the court's decision whether to grant her bail.
Portnthip was arrested at Hat Yai Airport, Hat Yai District, in southern Songkhla Province. The police is taking her to face charges in Bangkok on Friday night.
In early June, the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) summoned and detained about ten current and former Prakai Fai members and interrogated them about the play.
Pornthip graduated from Faculty of Political Science, Ramkhamhang University. She co-founded Prakai Fai Karn Lakorn in 2010. The group was aimed at making performance arts more accesible to the grassroot. Most of their plays concerned social issues, inequality, and politics. The group was dissolved in 2012 due to differences of the group members.
Latest Contents
Prachatai English is an independent, non-profit news outlet committed to covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite pressure from the authorities. Your support will ensure that we stay a professional media source and be able to meet the challenges and deliver in-depth reporting.
• Simple steps to support Prachatai English
1. Bank transfer to account “โครงการหนังสือพิมพ์อินเทอร์เน็ต ประชาไท” or “Prachatai Online Newspaper” 091-0-21689-4, Krungthai Bank
2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”