Locked up, back up: the Thai dissidents who refuse to give in

Despite being jailed for seven years, activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk has joined a growing movement demanding reforms in Thailand AFP/Lillian SUWANRUMPHABANGKOK: Jailed seven years for publishing satire of a fictitious royal family, activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk is in awe today as university students spearhead a growing movement demanding reforms to Thailand's ultra-powerful monarchy.

"He made all the rules and called it democracy," anti-military government activist Pai - real name Jatupat Boonpattararaksa - told AFP.Arrested in 2016 after sharing a BBC article about King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Facebook, he was jailed for more than two years before receiving a royal pardon in 2019.

Student protesters have put forward a number of demand, including a frank discussion about the role of the powerful royal family, once a taboo topic because of draconian defamation laws AFP/Lillian SUWANRUMPHAJust six people were behind bars on lese majeste charges before the 2014 coup, according to legal aid groups.

Somyot said he was disappointed to see the military government still in power when he was released in 2018.By the end of the military government's five-year regime, the number of lese majeste convictions had surged to at least 169 although use of the law has slowed in recent years.

The situation remains"dangerous", said Prontip Mankhong, a former playwright who spent two years in prison for a work deemed defamatory by a court.

Source: Education Headlines (educationheadlines.net)

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