Where: Bangkok, Thailand
Who: Baramee Chairat, coordinator of the non-profit organisation Assembly of the Poor (AOP) which works with impoverished farmers.
What happened: Chairat has been charged by the Thai government with inciting public unrest after allegedly providing shelter for 14 members of the New Democracy Movement. The NDM, mostly composed of students, peacefully opposes the rule of General Prayuth Chan-ocha who took power in a coup last May. Members of the NDM are currently facing charges of sedition and possible jail sentences.
According to the Bangkok Post, Baramee has said that he has no idea why charges are being brought against him, as both he and the students have the right to express their views under the constitution.
Operating in Thailand: The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to provinces along most of the Thai-Malaysia border and also advises travellers to avoid any protests, political gatherings or demonstrations: “You should be wary of making political statements in public.” Reporters without Borders highlight a threat from the prime minister to “execute” journalists who don’t toe the line.
- This article was amended on Monday 10 August. The previous version described General Prayuth Chan-ocha as the president, rather than the prime minister, in the picture caption.
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