Thailand | Authorities arrest students opposed to military rule

Sirawich Serithiwat, also known as “Ja New” (center) arrives at military court in Bangkok, Thailand

Authorities in Thailand have arrested members of a student group opposed to military rule, including one snatched off the street at night and bundled into a vehicle, in the latest jousting between the government and its most active opponents.
Four members of the New Democracy Movement were taken to military court yesterday to be charged with violating an order banning groups of five or more people from gathering publicly for political purposes.
Last month, the students were blocked en route to a protest at a park built under army patronage to honor past kings. The students sought to bring attention to corruption allegations in the park’s construction. They had refused to surrender themselves after warrants for their arrest were issued.
Siriwich Serithiwat, also known as “Ja New,” was detained Wednesday night by unidentified men — thought to be army officers — who seized him at a busy street corner and took him into a waiting SUV. The student group released video footage purportedly of the incident, which circulated widely on social media.
Three of his colleagues were arrested when they went to the police station to lend their support. All were released later yesterday pending a court appearance. Thai media reported another member of the group was separately arrested.
Ja New, who was allowed to keep his mobile phone after his arrest, said in a posting on his group’s Facebook page that he was seized by masked men, blindfolded, roughed up and threatened before being taken to a police station.
The case recalled the 2004 disappearance of Somchai Neelapaijit, a Muslim human rights lawyer, who is widely believed to have been kidnapped and killed by police officers. His remains were never found. Last month, Thailand’s Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of five officers who had been found guilty of coercion and robbery in connection with the disappearance. The ruling, which hinged in part on the failure to find Somchai’s body, sparked fresh calls for Thailand to pass laws to prosecute enforced disappearances. AP