Detained Pheu Thai politician may face 2 years in prison

The Thai junta has announced that a well-known politician from the Pheu Thai Party currently in detention may face two years in prison for violating a regime announcement.

The Daily News on Tuesday, 19 April 2016, reported that Watana Muangsook, a politician from the Pheu Thai Party currently detained at a so-called attitude adjustment camp, may face two years’ imprisonment for violating National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Announcement No. 39/2014.

In brief, the NCPO announcement states that people who have been released from detention by the authorities must strictly comply with the conditions set upon their release or risk being imprisoned for up to two years or fined up to 40,000 baht or both.  

The NCPO said that Watana was among the politicians summoned in the aftermath of the 2014 coup d’état, and was forced to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the regime, promising to steer clear of all political activities. Therefore, he has violated the MoU which he already signed.

The authorities added that the politician was also forced to sign several more MoUs with the regime after each time he was repeatedly summoned for attitude adjustment sessions. However, he never complied with the MoUs, but continued to criticise the NCPO.

The NCPO clarified that the latest detention is not related to Watana’s criticisms of the draft constitution, the Daily News reported.

Watana has been repeatedly taken in for attitude adjustment by the regime and is currently battling charges under the Computer Crime Act for posting criticism of Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, the Minister of Defence, over his remarks about Yingluck Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister.

He is among the first group of politicians and political dissidents to be detained at the junta’s brand new attitude adjustment camp. According to the NCPO, activities in the camp include waking up at 5 am, having a short period for leisure, working out in the morning and attending lectures on the goals of the junta’s administration followed by a ‘discussion session’.

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