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Chuwong: Posted Status Vote No to Draft Constitution

Latest Update: 02/12/2016

Defendant

Chuwong

Case Status

Under investigation

Case Started

2016

Complainant / Plaintiff

No information

Table of Content

Chuwong, lawyer and leader of the Krabi Landless Peasantries Group posted message on facebook, stated that he will vote no to the draft constitution on 7 July 2016, someone saw his message on facebook and went to reported the case with the police. On 15 July 2016, the police requested the Court to issue arrest warrant against Chuwong under the Refferendum Act. Chuwong went to report to the police on 16 July and denied the charge. The police released him on bail in the same date with 150,000 Baht cash deposit    

Defendant Background

Chuwong is a lawyer and leadership of the landless peasant of Krabi province.

In December 2015, Chuwong as the president of the landless peasant in Southern region. The police once requested the court to issue arrest warrant against Chuwong after he led the mass to occupy land in palm filed that concession had been expried. The agenda of the occupied was to call for the allocation of land that concession had been expried in Krabi Province for the people.      

Offense

Referendum Act of 2016 section 61

Allegation

Chuwong posted a massage on his Facebook that he will vote no in the constitutional referendum because the army keep arresting people who demanded for their land rights in Krabi Province but the army has never allocated it. This draft can be called “the thief robs the nation”. 
 
Someone saw this massage and thought it is a kind of convincing the others to go to the Referendum for casting a ballot in any direction. It seems to be illegal under the Referendum Act 2016, Section 61 paragraph 2 which prescribe that :
 
"Anyone who distributes texts, pictures, sounds, on the media whiter online or offline which deviates from the facts or in a violent, aggressive, rude, inciting or threateningly manner aimed at preventing a voter from casting a ballot or vote in any direction or to not vote shall be considered as disrupting the referendum
 

Circumstance of Arrest

15 July 2016, the police requested the Krabi Provincial Court to issue an arrest warrant against Chuwong under the Referendum Act, Section 61 paragraph 2. In the early evening, the police went to Chuwong’s residence to arrest him, but he wasn't there because he went to Bangkok. The police took a photo of Chuwong’s house and leave. At that time, they contacted Chuwong by mobile phone and called him to report at Muang Krabi police station on 16 July.     
 
In morning, 16 July 2016. Chuwong traveled to meet the police and to be informed of the charge. He denied the charge and got a bail with 150,000 Baht cash deposit in the same day.
 

Trial Observation

No information

Black Case

No information

Court

The Krabi Provincial Court

Additional Info

No information

Reference

No information
7 July 2016
 
Chuwong posted a massage which was allegedly illegal on his facebook.  
 
15 July 2016
 
The police of the Muang Krabi Police Station requested the court to issue an arrest warrant against Chuwong. After someone filed a complaint against him that he violated the Referendum Act 2016 because he posted a massage the convincing the others to cast a ballot for vote no in the draft.
 
In the early evening, the police went to the Chuwong’s home to arrest him, but he was not there, they called him to meet in the next day at the Muang Krabi Police Station.  
 
16 July 2016
 
The ASTV manager online, news website, reported that Chuwong met the police at the Muang Krabi Police Station to be informed of charge, he denied the charge. Chuwong said I really posted that massage but it was just an expression of  personal feeling without hidden agenda or intention to convince people to violate the Referendum Act or disrupt the referendum. After Chuwong was informed the charge, he submitted a bail request with 150,000 Baht cash as deposit. The police allowed and released him on bail in the same day. Chuwong said that after he was charged, he deleted that massage from his facebook.

 

Verdict

No information

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