Note: Rung (Panusaya) Sithijirawattanakul, a student activist in the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, was arrested on the morning of 15 October 2020 in relation to the first protest organized by UFTD on 10 August 2020 at Thammasat University Rangsit campus. She is currently being held in the Thanyaburi Prison. Before entering the prison, she wrote this short letter to her fellow activists and Prachatai English has translated it below.
Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul
Student protest leader Panusaya "Rung" Sithijirawattanakul was arrested following the crackdown on the protest at the Government House in the early morning of 15 October. She was imprisoned at first at the Thanyaburi but has since been moved to the Bangkok Remand Prison.
During her detention at the Thanyaburi Prison, Panusaya wrote the following letter:
To all friends who love democracy:
If today I am not able to return to you, do not lose heart. I was prepared to sacrifice this for our struggle. You do not need to worry about me. Keep your morale up in the current situation. Everyone may see that the leaders are disappearing one-by-one. But in truth, we are with you always, we are with you in the form of ideals. With the situation as it is, I put my hope and heart in the struggle with everyone. May everyone use all the courage you have to become leaders and go with our friends. Our struggle has already come so far and victory is not far off. May everyone unite to struggle for democracy, to struggle to make our nation better, to struggle for our human dignity.
No one is born with blue blood.
No one is above anyone else.
All of us are human, all of us are equal.
The time for fear is gone. Struggle until victory.
Down with feudalism, Long live the people.
Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul
United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration
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