Case

Case name

Kanthoop

Lèse-majesté

Name of persons / Name of Media

undisclosed

Status of Accused

No arrest pending investigation

Offense / order

Article 112 Criminal Code

Summary

This case involves a young member of the society that has expressed her opinion on a webboard with the nickname "Kanthoop". Consequently, she was publically accused of intending to overthrow the monarchy by Manager online with her real identity and photos exposed. Her application got rejected by 3 universities and she got pressured by the society. In the end, she was summoned to report herself under the article 112 charge.

Basic information

Background of accused

Kanthoop (joss stick) is a began pseudonym of a teenager who posed and expressed her political opinion in Same Sky webboard which was a discussion board powered by a Thai political critic magazine, when she was a 10th grader at school. The messages she posed on the webboard had been considered as “attacking with intention to overthrow the royal institution” by conservative political webboards, such as Seri Thai and Manager.

About her political opinion and activities, Kanthoop has become a member of a student political group called “League of Liberal Thammasat for Democracy (LLTD)” , the group is working freely by self-fundraising in order to promote political activism without support from the Student Union. Here is the summary of her participations of political activities during 2007-2011.

- Campaign against the Council of National Security (CNS), in order to vote “No” at the 2007 constitution referendum, which was written by CNS.

- Participation at the UDD (the Red Shirts) public assembly during April 2009. On 6th April 2009, She gave a public speech on Rajadamnern Avenue, as the winner of the essay writing contest organised by the 14th October Foundation on the title “The Absolute Democracy”

- Participation at the UDD public assembly during April-May 2010, she witnessed the event of mob dispersion on 10th April 2010.

- Participation at the seminar on the proposal for lèse majesté law amendment, organised by the Enlightened Jurists and the Article 112 groups on 27th March 2011.

- Participation at the event Borderless Peace Music at the 14th October Memorial on 16th February 2011.

- Sticker “No 112” distribution on 19th March 2011

- Signing of the open letter against the Public Assembly Control Act.

- Visiting political prisonners/accused of Article 112, such as Joe G., Ah Kong, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk (Activities of feasting with political prisonners every Friday) with the Friends of Political Prisonners Group.

- Work as a staff at the event of 35th Anniversary of 6th October 1976 Massacre on 4th-6th October 2011.

Complainant / Plaintiff

Police Lieutenant Colonel Bank Buanual, investigation officer at Bang Khen Police Station, belonging to the National Police Bureau, is the accuser, investigates and writes the brief for the prosecutor.

Legal Claims

Lèse-majesté

Form of restriction on freedom

Summons, Other
Type of media

Social Network
Province

Bangkok

Details of offence according to charge

Kanthoop was accused of posing around 20 messages on her Facebook which insult the monarchy when she was 16-17 years old.

Circumstance of arrest

No arrested.

Progress of case

January 2010

Kanthoop created a private Facebook account under her full name, then (Natthakan Sakundarachart), in order to pose the news about the political and social situation.

April 2010

There was a distribution of forward mails jeopardising her. She was accused of posing messages which insult the monarchy on her Facebook.

May 2010

Kanthoop passed the entrance examination at the Faculty of Arts of Silpakorn University, but she was rejected to study there. The vice-dean of the Faculty of Arts announced that she has harmful thoughts against the priciples of the democratic form of government with the King as Head of State. Nevertheless, she passed the admission exam at the Faculty of Social Sciences in the Political Science major of Kasetsart, because of the rumours propagated online against her, an announcement was made that a group of people would do anything to make her rejected from the university. On the day of interview at Kasetsart University, dozens of people demonstrated with posters written messages lambasting her. As being afraid of getting physical danger, she decided to abandon her right to get interviewed at the university.

24th May 2010

Manager newspaper published the information that Kanthoop had been rejected from Silpakorn University, including her full name, her photos and personal information, urging the state officers to file lèse majesté lawsuit against her. After the news was published, several groups of people tried to chase her by going to her home, some named themselves as state officers, but her neighbours refused to give any information.

June 2010

Kanthoop changed her name and stopped all political activities until she was qualified to study at the Faculty of Humanities of Srinakharinwirot University. However, on the interview day, the interviewer dismissed her, then she got rejected to study there later.

On 2011

She used her new name and was accepted to study at an university where she passed the interview. In spite of that, there have been many times that she was criticised, threatened and sometimes even physically abused by some people.

13th June 2011

The first day of the semester, her counsellor informed her that there have been a group of second year and third year students, sending a letter to the faculty demanding them to confiscate her student identity. And also, many people sent e-mails and letters to the university to complain of accepting her. Then, Kanthoop met the Vice-Dean and the Dean, who are concerned about her safety because of widespread rumours and news targeting her.

For the life in the university, many times, some people recognised her. Some came to reproach her, some asked her to get out of the country. The most violent once was someone threw a shoe at her when she was doing homework with friends.

25^th October 2011 Kanthoop received a warrant from the National Police Bureau to summon her at Bang Khen Police Station to hear and explain about the accusation of lèse majesté (Penal code article 112) on 5^th November 2011, but as the flood situation made her travel impossible, she called the police to postpone it to 30^th November 2011. However, on that day, the flood was still the main obstable. Thammasat University postponed the first day of the second semester to 9^th January 2012, therefore she postponed the meeting with the police again to 11^th January 2012.

26th December 2011

Manager online newspaper published an article accusing her of lèse majesté. And once again, her personal information including her name and student code at the faculty and the university where she was studying.

3^rd January 2012

Mr. Somsak Jiam-theerasakul, a lecturer at Thammasat University who had also been accused of lèse majesté published the information about Kanthoop’s case postponement. There was much social pressure on the case, and Kanthoop hadn’t finished the first semester final examination, due to the flood. She called the police again to postpone the meeting for the third time, which will be held on Saturday 11^th February 2012.

10^th February 2012

The police told Kanthoop to postpone the meeting again without any deadline because the police may have a chace to drop her charges.

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