Amnesty International condemns arrest of Facebook users

On Wednesday, Col Winthai Suvari, the spokesman of the National Council for Peace and Order admitted Wednesday that ten civilians have been detained under the provision of the draconian Article 44 of the interim charter. He said two have been detained in Khon Kaen and eight in Bangkok and no charges have been raised against the ten yet.

In its press statement Thursday, the AI said at least a dozen Facebook commenters have been detained or charged on Wednesday under a draconian new Order issued by the head of the military government. The arrests come after they commented on the controversial draft of a new constitution Thailand’s military government is seeking to impose, the AI said.

“If ordinary people cannot comment on a Facebook post without facing the threat of 10 years behind bars and a hefty fine, what hope is there for any open and honest debate on the military government’s draft constitution?” said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s Director of Campaigns for South East Asia.

“Thailand’s military government must immediately withdraw charges against the commenters and release them unconditionally. It is not up to any government to determine what can or cannot be said about a referendum where citizens are expected to exercise their own political judgment.”