Military and police officers reportedly intimidated a group of students in the eastern province of Chonburi after the military suspected them of hanging up an anti-junta banner.  

According to Burapha University Villagers’ Children Group, a group of student activists based in Burapha University in Bang Saen, Chonburi, military and police officers on Monday summoned a group of students for a discussion and requested to search their dormitories.

The intimidation from the authorities came after a banner reading “Down with dictatorship; democracy will triumph” was put on a pedestrian bridge in front of the university around noon on Sunday.

The banner which says “Down with dictatorship; democracy will triumph” hanging on a pedestrian bridge in front of Burapha University in Saen Suk Sub-District of Chonburi Province on Sunday. 

On the same day, another student revealed on his Zhampo Facebook profile that military and police officers summoned him for a discussion, which was also attended by the university administration. The military also requested to search his room without a search warrant.

He condemned the intimidation as unjust and a threat to freedom of expression.

Prachatai attempted to check for further information on his Facebook page, but it is currently unavailable.     

The Burapha University Villagers’ Children Group posted on the group’s Facebook page “The action was a devious act of intimidation against students. It was intimidation without justification and abuse of power for the military and police officers to accuse the student of hanging up the anti-junta banner without evidence.”

The group added “we condemn the intimidation by state officials of students and we believe that the free people of Bang Saen will not tolerate with intimidation by the authorities on our fellow students.”