The court of appeal has denied bail for a well-known anti-junta activist accused of defaming King Rama X.
On 27 December 2016, an appeal court in Khon Kaen Province denied bail to Jatuphat Boonpattaraksa, the first person charged with lèse majesté under the reign of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
The court reasoned that Jatuphat does not seem to respect the law or state authorities, adding that he could intervene with evidence if released.
Jatuphat, or Pai, was arrested on 3 December, only two days after the king’s accession. He was accused of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code for sharing on his Facebook account a controversial biography of the new king published by BBC Thai.
Khon Kaen Provincial Court later granted Jatuphat bail. However, the court revoke the bail on 22 December after he posted a satirical message mocking authorities on his Facebook account.
The message leading to the revocation reads, “Economy is poor but they (authorities) took my money for bail.”
Jatuphat is a key member of the New Democracy Movement (NDM) anti-junta activist group. He currently faces several charges for organising and participating in anti-junta activities.
Jatuphat Boonpattaraksa behind bars
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