CityNews – A peaceful protest was held outside the gates of Chiang Mai University, calling on the Junta to give amnesty to the fourteen students arrested and detained under Article 44 on Friday June 26, after staging a peaceful anti-junta protest in Bangkok.
Hundreds of people attended the event on Sunday, July 5, which involved speeches from local students and academics and the posting of post-it notes to the entrance of the university, with messages of solidarity and demands to release the fourteen students.
Prominent Thai historian, political commentator and writer, Nidhi Eoseewong, also attended the event.
Messages included “The law ≠ your law”, “today we ask, tomorrow we’ll demand” and “fight for freedom, let our friends go.” The hashtag #free14 was used on many posts to social media.
A similar event was held in Bangkok a few days earlier, covering a wall in central Bangkok with post-it notes.
Banners were also displayed, with the message “Let our friends go, unconditionally” and “We are friends of a new Democracy.”
The 12-day detention period is said to expire today, but it is believed the authorities would ask for another 12-day extension while they decide the case.
The arrest has drawn criticism from both national and international human rights defenders, causing the often tight-lipped prime minister to make a statement suggesting he has advised the judicial side on how to handle the ruling.
Police and military presence at the event was high but the atmosphere was relaxed. A police checkpoint set up on the only route towards the event, causing heavy traffic and preventing some people from getting to the event.
UPDATE: According to Asian Correspondent, the 14 students have been released pending trial. The trial will happen sometime in the next few months and if found guilty, each student could face a maximum of seven years in prison.