On 24 Sept, Prawase Praphanukul, lawyer for Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, together with a group of activists, submitted letters to the embassies of the US and Australia, and the offices of the EU and the UN in Bangkok, asking those countries and organizations to call on Thailand to stop the imprisonment of political prisoners.

The group of activists 'Social Move' in front of the US Embassy

Daranee, 46, says in the letter, dated 16 Sept, that she has been imprisoned for political reasons, as she was one of those people who came out against the military’s overthrow of an elected government.  She was arrested for making political speeches when the junta, bureaucrats and their political allies were trying to overthrow yet another elected government through the seizure of the airports and Government House.

Prawase Praphanukul, lawyer, and an official of the US Embassy (Photos by บุหลันแรม at www.sameskyboard.com)

She complains about the court’s repeated denial of her bail requests and its order to hold closed trials in her case.

She also complains about the tapping of conversations between her and her lawyer, her solitary detention, and labelling her with a nametag giving her offence, which exposes her to harassment from peers and prison officials.

She says there are others who face the same fate.

At the Australian Embassy 

She believes that other democratic countries which respect rights and freedoms and human dignity will agree that this is a crime which the Thai government is committing against its people. 

She asks those countries to convince the Thai government to stop persecuting her and other political prisoners and set them free.

At the office of the EU

Red shirts who have finished their rally nearby join the activity in front of the office of the UN (Photo by konunwit at www.prachataiwebboard.com) 

At the office of the UN