Advertisement
Singapore: He is among the best known faces of a youth-driven pro-democracy movement that drew hundreds of thousands of people to the streets of Thailand last year, sporting the three-finger salute popularised by
The Hunger Games film franchise to protest the power of the countryâs king.
Now, 45 days into a hunger strike begun after he was denied bail while awaiting trial on lèse-majesté, or royal defamation charges, the condition of student activist Parit âPenguinâ Chiwarak has deteriorated to such an extent his lawyers fear it may be life threatening.
Protest leaders Parit Chiwarak and Panusaya Sitthijirawattanakul at a protest in Bangkok last December.
Parit Penguin Chiwarak, Thai protest leader, in life or death battle
brisbanetimes.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from brisbanetimes.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Parit Penguin Chiwarak, Thai protest leader, in life or death battle
smh.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smh.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published on: Wednesday, January 20, 2021
By: AP
Anchan outside the Bangkok Criminal Court.
BANGKOK: A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a former civil servant to a record prison term of 43 years and six months for breaching the country’s strict law on insulting or defaming the monarchy, lawyers said.
The Bangkok Criminal Court found the woman guilty on 29 counts of violating the country’s lese majeste law for posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.
The sentence, which comes amid an ongoing protest movement that has seen unprecedented public criticism of the monarchy, was swiftly condemned by rights groups.