Pravit Rojanaphruk has let it be known that he has left The Nation. We understand he will appear on the BBC at 8 p.m. Bangkok time. Should be an interesting interview.
Update 1: Earlier, The Nation reported that the military junta had released Pravit, Karun Hosakul and Pichai Naripatapan “after getting them to sign an undertaking to desist from any move or expression of opinions opposing the junta’s road map.”
Pravit reportedly “signed an agreement not to lead, participate or assist any anti-coup movement. The NCPO also filed a pending police complaint against him, which would be activated if he violates the NCPO’s order again…”.
The Dictator and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the released detainees “have to comply with the pact in relation to some personal activities, such as informing the NCPO when planning to travel abroad.” In addition, he affirmed that the junta “has the authority to freeze their bank account if it finds their movements suspicious.”
He warned that if they don’t do as they are ordered, “they have to go to court. There’ll be no more negotiation…”.
This is part of a pattern of ever-deepening repression.
Update 2: Prachatai has more on Pravit’s departure from The Nation. Pravit says “he was forced to quit his job at The Nation Newspaper after he was detained incommunicado by the military.” The pressure on him came from “The Nation Group pressured him to resign due to pressure from the audience.” The “audience” is described as mostly “right-wing, pro-coup royalists…”.
Update 3: PPT is unable to discover if Pravit did appear on the BBC. However, there is a BBC story about his departure from The Nation, where it is reported:
… his belief in democracy remained unchanged. The media had a responsibility to ensure that Thais do not think of military rule as a “normal situation”….
Political Prisoners in Thailand 