Jatupat back in jail as court revokes bail

Activist Pai Dao Din is back behind bars indefinitely on lese majeste charges for sharing a BBC story on Facebook. (FB/Jom Petchpradab)

KHON KAEN - The provincial court approved a police request Thursday to revoke bail granted to student activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, better known as Pai Dao Din of the New Democracy Movement group.

Mr Jatupat was arrested at a temple in his home province of Chaiyaphum on Dec 3 on charges of lese majeste and breaching computer laws for sharing an offensive link about His Majesty the King on Facebook.

The court previously released him on the grounds that he had never shown flight risk behaviour and that he could sit his final examination on Dec 8 in order to complete his tertiary education.

Police said he had broken his bail conditions.

He now will await trial on charges of sharing a link on Facebook to a BBC Thai report containing allegedly offensive content about the monarch. The activist was released on bail the following day.

The court also ruled that the bail guarantor, the 25-year-old law student's father, had failed to do his job as guarantor which was to ensure his son conformed to the bail conditions.

The court was convinced by evidence supporting the police allegation that Mr Jatupat had violated bail conditions.

Police alleged one of his Facebook posts since he was granted bail contained rude and insulting language targeting law enforcement officers by implying that the economy was bad and so the authorities always wanted bail money.

The court found that Mr Jatupat has failed to delete the messages he had posted on his Facebook that led to his arrest on the lese majeste charge.

He also made further comments of a similar nature to those in the report and stirred up sentiment on social media in a way which could be construed as an attempt to challenge state power and to show disrespect for the rule of law, according to police.

The court ruled that Mr Jatupat's acts were causing damage to the nation and it was likely he would continue such acts despite the fact that he was a law student and mature enough to realise he was violating a court order not to break bail conditions.

Mr Jatupat showed no emotion while hearing the court ruling. His lawyer, Athipong Phuphiew, said he would submit a new bail request.

Mr Athipong said Mr Jatupat was unsure of the bail conditions when they were set on Dec 4 because of an absence of clear guidelines. Mr Jatupat needs bail so he can sit an exam at Khon Kaen University, the lawyer said.