Social media 112

Prachatai reports that a 21-year-old activist “Bank” Natthaphon (surname withheld) has been arrested on lese majeste charges.

On 18 January 2024, Bank was arrested by Thung Song Hong police over a “Facebook post of a man in black wearing a crash helmet and holding 2 pieces of paper with offensive messages in front of a picture of the King and Queen.” He was later granted bail.

The complaint was filed by ultra-royalist thug Anon Klinkaew who proclaims his leadership of the People’s Centre to Protect the Monarchy.

Bank stated that he was arrested in front of his home, in the middle of the night. He said “he was surrounded by 8-9 men. Some were disguised as homeless people in the area…. The police did not show him an arrest warrant, but instead read it to him briefly.”

He was then whisked off to the “Samran Rat Police Station, where he was not able to contact anyone until after his arrest was recorded. Natthaphon was informed that he was charged under the royal defamation law and the Computer-Related Crime Act.” Bank “refused the fingerprinting process and denied all allegations. As a result, he faced an additional charge of failing to follow an official’s order. He was detained overnight.”

On 19 January 2024, “Natthaphon was taken to court for a detention hearing. On the same day, the court granted bail with 180,000 baht as security…”.

Natthaphon has previously been prosecuted under Article 112, having been “accused of burning a royal arch in front of the Ministry of Labour during a protest on 14 September 2021. That case is ongoing in the courts.