Nine people were arrested after a violent protest outside a Bangkok police station between police and a group that had gathered in support of a 15-year old girl who has been held for more than 40 days on a royal defamation charge.
The seven men and two women arrested included Tantawan “Tawan” Tuatulanon and Orawan “Bam” Phuphong, who earlier this year staged a 52-day hunger strike to press for the release of political prisoners and the abolition of Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese-majeste law.
The protesters began gathering at the Samran Rat police station in Phra Nakhon district at about 4pm. They wanted to talk to those in charge after learning that officers from the station were preparing to press an additional charge against the detained teenager known as Thanalop or “Yok”.
After the demonstrators waited for two hours, they splashed and sprayed red paint on the walls and steps of the station, police vehicles and a poster of the national police chief. A demonstrator also broke a glass door at the station.
About 50 crowd control policemen were deployed to control the situation. Officers with riot shields assembled and a melee began. Nine people were taken away and were being held at three different police stations.
Thanalop was arrested on March 28, the same day that a 24-year-old man was caught spray-painting a “No 112” message on the wall of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok.
Police said at the time that they had a warrant to arrest Thanalop, who was accused of insulting the monarchy during a rally in October 2022 in front of Bangkok City Hall. She was 14 at the time.
People convicted of lese-majeste can be sentenced to between 3 and 15 years in jail.
According to data, 1,902 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the beginning of the Free Youth pro-democracy protests in July 2020. At least 242 are facing lese-majeste charges and 130 have been charged with sedition.
