Four Thai activists vow to keep protests after release
03 November, 2020
Four Thai activists, including protest leader and rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, were freed in early stages Tuesday (Nov 3) and promised to keep fighting to oust Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha and for reforms to the monarchy.
The activists were among dozens arrested during emergency measures imposed last month to try to end months of protests, but which backfired by drawing thousands of folks onto the streets of Bangkok.
The four were freed after a court ruled that police had reached the limit for detaining them. They still face public order and other charges associated with the protests.
"We are out and prepared to fight again," Arnon said after released from Bangkok Remand Prison, where a huge selection of supporters had gathered.
Human rights legal professional Anon Nampa, one of the leaders of recent anti-government protests, foretells supporters as he released from Prison in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov 3, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun)
Arnon broke a longstanding taboo on criticising the monarchy in August when he was the first to openly call for reforms to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Also among those released were Ekachai Hongkangwan and Suranat Paenprasert, who face rarely used charges of violence against the queen over an incident in which Queen Suthida's royal motorcade was jeered when it unexpectedly arrived where protesters had gathered.
The charges can carry the death penalty if the queen's life is thought to have already been threatened and in other cases between 16 years and life imprisonment for all those found guilty.
All have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Together with reforms to the monarchy, protesters seek to improve the constitution and demand removing Prime Minister Prayuth, a former junta leader they accuse of engineering last year's election to keep power that he seized in a 2014 coup. He says that vote was fair and he'll not quit.
The Palace has made no comment since the start of the protests, but on Sunday the king told Britain's Channel 4 news "we love them all the same" of the protesters and "Thailand is a land of compromise".
Source: