Update 4:25pm: Arnon and Penguin remain jailed after one of the courts they have cases before, the Bangkok South Criminal Court, denied bail to them, according to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Supporters of Thailand’s pro-democracy movement raised millions of baht within a few hours last night to help free two prominent activists jailed for the past six months.
Held in rare pre-trial detention on charges of insulting the monarchy, attorney Arnon Nampa and student activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak had been offered bail Tuesday by the Criminal Court – if they could secure combined bonds of THB2.1 million (US$65,000).
To raise the money, the Ratchadon Prasong Funding Pool, a legal defense fund supporting the pro-democracy movement, jumped in to ask the public for money. Within hours, its bank account spiked from THB2 million to THB10 million.
#ReleaseOurFriends was trending on Twitter in Thailand today. The two remained behind bars Wednesday as they have active cases in other jurisdictions that will also require bonds be posted.
If granted bail, Arnon and Penguin must obey conditions that include refraining from activities that may “cause harm” to the monarchy and courts. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Arnon and Penguin will also be banned from protests or gatherings that may “cause chaos.” They will be forbidden to leave their residences between 9pm and 6am and must wear electronic monitoring devices at all times.
Arnon, 37, famously shattered the long-standing taboo against open debate of the monarchy’s role in society in a fiery 2020 speech calling for it to be reformed. Penguin, 23, first came to media attention in 2015 – when he was only 16 –
campaigning for education reform, before he rose to prominence in the 2020 anti-monarchy movement.
While THB2 million of the money was put up for a bond at the Criminal Court, the rest must be posted to the Bangkok South Criminal, Bangkok South District, and Ayutthaya Provincial courts to secure freedom for Arnon and Penguin, according to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights team.
Reader Interactions