Updated: Akechai jailed

Activist Akechai Hongkangwarn is in jail.

The Nation reports that the Criminal Court yesterday has ordered that he “be detained for 12 days following charges over his alleged involvement with pro-democracy, anti-junta activism months ago.”

He is “the only one of 57 activists detained after having joined a March 24 assembly that marched to the Army headquarters and urged the military to stop supporting the ruling junta.”

He and nine others were “deemed key actors by the authorities” and targeted for prosecution. The other nine went to court, but the prosecutor’s detention requests were refused by the court.

They face various charges, including sedition.

Akechai refused to request bail and was immediately jailed. The report states that this is “in line with his approach that from the start has denied the legitimacy of the charges.” Nor did he report to police when he was charged. He’s not the first to deny the legitimacy of charges or to challenge the courts.

He stated: “A developed country will not recognise the junta’s order as law…”.

Akechai considers that he has been targeted with these charges because he has been probing the Deputy Dictator’s luxury watch and jewelry affair. A sedition charge to silence the activist is suggestive of a deep anxiety about the watch affair.

Update: A couple of days later, he was bailed.