On Feb 24, Prawase Prapanukul, lawyer for political activist Daranee Charncherngsilpakul aka Da Torpedo, who has been detained on lèse majesté charges, said that on Feb 23 he had requested the Criminal Court to temporarily release Daranee, and was denied. This was the second attempt to seek bail for the accused pending trial, and previously a few attempts to seek bail while she was in police custody had also failed. However, he said he would request bail again soon.

Prawase said that on his visit to Daranee on Feb 24, he learnt that the Corrections Department Director-General had queried the Director of the Women’s Detention Centre about rumours posted on various web-boards that Da had been severely beaten. Wardens asked Daranee about it and were told no such incidents had happened.

Daranee was arrested on July 22, 2008, and has since been in detention for her public speeches in political demonstrations. The Criminal Court will hear prosecution witnesses on June 23-25, and defence witnesses on June 26-30, 2009.

Another lèse majesté offender Bunyuen Prasertying, who also took part in the gatherings at Sanam Luang and was arrested shortly after Daranee, was sentenced on Nov 6, 2008, to 12 years imprisonment, but the jail term was commuted to 6 years as she had pleaded guilty. She is now seeking to reduce the punishment or a royal pardon.

Bunyuen Prasertying, red shirt.