Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) report that a 24-year-old man in Krabi Province was visited by the police who tried to make him sign a document promising not to express any opinion about the monarchy as he had during a past protest.

Koh Phi Phi, one of a tourist attraction spot located partly in Krabi province. (Source: Pixabay)

He was visited on 6 August and TLHR report that other protesters in Krabi were similarly visited. 

The man, who requested anonymity, said he attended a protest at Krabi on 24 July. He was one of those who held a vinyl banner with the message “Royalist Marketplace”.

3 weeks later, he was visited at his home by a plainclothes police officer. The officer checked his name and address, then identified himself as police and said “If you don’t want to talk, it’s okay, but let’s sort it out in court.”

The policeman also said “If you want to curse the government, go ahead, it’s okay. But don’t mess with the monarchy.” He also saw some signed MOU documents that the police brought along.

The MOU confirmed that this person was in fact involved in holding the Royalist Marketplace banner. It demanded that the individual admit that this action was inappropriate and would not be repeated.

The authorities' hostility toward people who have taken part in protests has increased countrywide. As of now, at least 28 people have been prosecuted in 9 cases for taking part in protests. Many more have reported being visited at home and asked to sign MOUs.

Royalist Marketplace is a Facebook group consisting of more than 830,000 members. The group was established by Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai academic in exile, and mainly criticizes the Thai monarchy and politics.