Network to promote rights of lese majeste detainees
The country's first Network of Family Members and People Affected by the Lese Majeste Law was launched yesterday with 10 members who are either family of detainees charged with lese majeste or former prisoners convicted of lese majeste.
Sukanya Prueksakasemsuk, wife of detainee Somyos and a co-coordinator of the group, told a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club that the network was formed to fight for the rights of those in custody and in jail.
It will seek bail for those charged under the lese majeste law, for the quick and unconditional release of prisoners and for a guarantee and protection of prisoners' fundamental rights, including access to medical care and the right to be free from torture.
The network will also strive to heal the trauma suffered by some detainees and their relatives.
Keechiang Thaweewarodomkul, father of Tantawut, known as "Nor Por Chor USA", who was sentenced to 13 years in prison, said some family members who share the same family name with Tantawut are also under severe social pressure.
Having the same family name with a lese majeste detainee is "worse" than sharing a family name with convicted murderers.
"It was as if my son was a hardened criminal," Keechiang said.
Sukanya urged some who were accused of lese majeste and had fled overseas to become active members of the network and fight for other prisoners' rights.
The network aims to make society aware and recognise the problem of the lese majeste law and the detainees under the law but is primarily intended as a "self-help" group, she said.
Pranee Danwattananusorn, the other network co-coordinator and wife of prisoner Surachai "Surachai Sae Darn", said that in the case of another detainee, Darunee "Da Torpedo" Charnchoengsil-pakul, whenever visitors wished to see her, Darunee would be asked by prison guards to guess the name of the visitor and if she was wrong, she would not be allowed to see the visitor.
Prisoners also cannot buy postage stamps because they are not available and writing paper for sale in prison only contain 15 lines per sheet, Pranee said.
The network will host a symposium to introduce itself to the public tomorrow afternoon at the October 14 Memorial Foundation.



Comments
Having the same family name
Dem MP Khanchit Thapsuwan indicted for murder, in broad daylight, with witnesses allowed to walk ... bail not even required.
The 'elite' are 'above' the law. Hard to imagine such low-life above anything ... the law just does not apply to them. I'm sure the name Thapsuwan opens all the usual hyper-royalist doors; is honorable and is honored.
How can a society this corrupt hope to continue, business as usual, "lockdown" or no?
Network demands release of
Network demands release of detainees
Hyper-Royalist Thai Government to victims of its lese majeste inquisition : Drop Dead.
Just like Amphol Tangnopakul.
The link above was not the correct one : Dem MP indicted for murder is the one that reports the walk taken by Democrat Party MP Khanchit Thapsuwan .
Network of Family members 112
Network of Family members 112 part 1 - Network of Family members 112 part 2
Network of Family members 112 part 3 - Network of Family members 112 part 4
Watching the videos of the inauguration of the network really brings home just how monstrous Thai society really is. It becomes clear that just to support your own family members hold up under the brutal duress inflicted by this hyper-royalist regime brings down very serious sanction and censure upon the family members themselves.
Bangkok is truly a brutal, other-wordly place. My heart certainly goes out to all the family members of the victims of this brutal inquisition as well as to the victims themselves.
Somyos is a criminal in jail
Somyos is a criminal in jail where criminals belong. His publication, "Voice of Taksin" written of, for, and by Thaksin Shinawatra and his self-serving political machine made overt death threats against politicians, officials, and judges as well as blueprinted specific campaigns and acts of violence.
This is a punishable crime in even the most advanced, progressive societies on Earth. Defending him not only undermines Prachatai and Pravit's already evidently non-existent legitimacy, but it endangers all legitimate human rights advocates that are genuinely trying to improve the world's lot.
Sorry, but US State Department funded Prachatai and lackey Pravit are disgraces to the cause of human rights - ceaselessly perverting the cause and couching a billionaire mass murderer's political ambitions and the foreign interests enabling it behind people's legitimate aspirations for a better world. How disgusting!
I want to see more news about
I want to see more news about real human rights advocates - people fighting against land grabbing, corrupt local officials that have activists killed for exposing theft and abuse of public funds, and people genuinely working on pragmatic solutions to improve Thai society - i.e. educational projects, technological training to improve the efficiency of small business owners, etc.
Why is it that the only thing US State Department funded Prachatai & Co. seem capable of reporting on are Thaksin's political lackeys? These are NOT political prisoners, they are NOT human rights advocates, they are doing NOTHING to progress Thai society.
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.com/2011/08/exposed-indy-newspaper-funded-by-us.html
How to Think Cultures that
How to Think
Again, this "network"
Again, this "network" consists of Thaksinites who have been playing one of several avenues of politically undermining, destabilizing and replacing Thailand's indigenous institutions with one as unjust in reality as they claim are the institutions they seek to replace. This fake anti-LM campaign, Nitirat, and UDD are all overt tentacles of Thaksin's political machine with Thaksin and his representatives directly involved in all of them.
Somyos, for example, and I don't know how many times I need to repeat this - I guess until people stop pretending he is a political prisoner - is a shameless Thaksin supporter, a fraud and a liar for claiming he isn't when his publication was literally directed by and contains hand written messages from Thaksin himself, and demonstratively threatened the lives of judges and their families amongst many others with his publication "Voice of Taksin."
I truly believe in a free and open society - but such ideals are perverted and tarnished by pretenders like Somyos & Co. (Prachatai & friends included). JFL - hard to take you seriously when you are so irrationally blind to this reality. I could accept much of what you say if you admitted the ideals you claim you stand for are being exploited and abused by Thaksin, the UDD, and especially Prachatai in the most damaging, deceitful, and disingenuous manner possible.
Pranee Danwattananusorn, the
Pranee Danwattananusorn, the other network co-coordinator and wife of prisoner Surachai "Surachai Sae Darn", said that in the case of another detainee, Darunee "Da Torpedo" Charnchoengsil-pakul, whenever visitors wished to see her, Darunee would be asked by prison guards to guess the name of the visitor and if she was wrong, she would not be allowed to see the visitor.
This is outrageous. As well as campaigning against this vicious bit of sadism, the Network of Family members 112 could organise a rota of visitors where each one knows the name of the next and imparts that information to Daranee. All potential visitors would be asked to co-operate with this procedure.
This is just another
This is just another illustration of how small the 'big people' really are, Sam, and conversely of how large we small people grow ... merely in comparison!