High-profile activists denied bail on charges they insulted the king and awaiting trial in prison are afraid for their safety behind bars.
A rights attorney who broke the longstanding taboo on even discussing criticism of the monarchy described in a handwritten letter this morning how two of the movement’s leaders refused to be removed from their units by prison personnel, who said they were there to take them for late-night COVID-19 tests.
“Last night, at around 9:30pm, a group of prison officers attempted to take Pai [Jarupat Boonpattaraksa] and Mike [Panupong Jadnok] outside their wing. We refused to comply as it was late at night,” Arnon wrote in a letter later posted by an associate to social media.
He said the prison officers returned several times with more men, once at 11:45pm and two more times past midnight. Some were seen dressed in blue outfits without any identifying badges, according to Arnon’s letter.
Krit Krasaethip, commander of the Bangkok Remand Prison, where Arnon and others are held, today denied there was anything “suspicious” about what happened, saying his team was following protocols in place to prevent COVID-19 from spreading inside the prison. He did not explain why such tests would be carried out after midnight.
In his letter, Arnon expressed concern they could face the same fates as many inmates in the past who have died mysteriously in Thai custody through the years.
He referenced the 2015 death of a formal royal adviser who fell out of favor, was accused of royal defamation and jailed at an off-the-books military prison where he was later found dead of a “blood infection.”
“Regarding the rumor that someone was sent to hurt us inside the prison – and possibly cause us to die while being held in custody, just like Mor Yong [Suriyan Sujaritpalawong] and others,” Arnon wrote.
ข้อความฝากจากอานนท์ในศาล (ลงปีผิด รีบเขียน) เอกสารนี้เป็นคำร้องต่อศาลในคดี #19กันยาทวงอํานาจคืนราษฎร pic.twitter.com/uTTEbVjIhJ
— อานนท์ นำภา (@arnonnampa) March 16, 2021
Arnon finished the letter with a plea for help:
“I did not sleep all night because I fear the danger. Please save our lives.”
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