Updated: Republicanism and those shirts II

Khaosod reports that the authorities have probably arrested another three people for “possessing black T-shirts linked to an underground republican group…”.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights are seeking to visit three men held in prison, “reportedly charged with inciting sedition and ordered jailed until trial.”

But police say they haven’t arrested anyone and point to the military.

It is not known if or how these three or any of those arrested are connected with the “Organization for a Thai Federation, which seeks to establish a federal republic in part of Thailand,” that is claimed to be the source of the “plot” to raise the profile of republicans.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Dictator, Gen Prawit  Wongsuwan has claimed the t-shirts originate in Laos. Saying that his thugs had seized about 450 shirts in the recent arrest and detention of a woman, Prawit blamed “a group of Thai anti-monarchists fleeing prosecution for lese majeste…”.

Gen Prawit claimed this group wanted “an administration without the institution.” The terminology “the institution” is a royalist linguistic innovation to refer to a monarchy that is not a strictly constitutional monarchy.

More revealing is Gen Prawit’s claim that the republicans have a “network in Thailand.” We have to say that this is beginning to feel a little like so many other “plots” revealed by  the military regime.

The Deputy Dictator then named a name: “He identified a person behind the movement as Chucheep Cheewasut, who had fled the country. The man was prosecuted for lese majeste and sedition, and security authorities had monitored his activities for a long time…”. Chucheep does appear in PPT files, but from a very long time ago and with scant information. (We will update).

Prawit warned that “anyone else who became involved with the movement would … be arrested.”

Despite all of this, the general added that “the movement had no significant momentum. It existed only on social media and aimed to inspire people to think about a new state without the institution [monarchy]…”.

Update: The Bangkok Post reports that Col Burin Thongpraphai, a junta legal official “handed the woman identified only as Wannapa, who allegedly sold the T-shirts, over to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) Tuesday for legal action.” She is to be charged with numerous offences: “ang-yee (running an illegal secret organisation)…”.