Seven activists were charged with sedition on Tuesday for leading a protest over the weekend against the ruling military government for postponing a general election for the fourth time.
Police have charged and summoned the activists after a junta representative filed a complaint earlier in the day, Popthorn Jitman, Police Commander of Bangkok’s Pathumwan District, told dpa.
On Saturday, more than 100 pro-democracy protesters gathered in central Bangkok to demand elections after the junta’s rubber-stamp parliament voted to delay polls last week.
It was a rare show of dissent in Thailand, which has been ruled by a military junta since a coup in 2014.
Many civilians have been arrested and put under military detention for defying the junta’s ban on political gatherings.
if found guilty of sedition the activists could face up to seven years in prison.
In spite the charges, the group vowed to stage another protest in February to oust the junta.
“If we don’t do anything, there will be another postponement,” the group said in a Facebook statement.
The protest came after the Thai parliament passed a motion to defer the enforcement of an election law by three months, possibly pushing back the election planned for November to early 2019.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday denied having promised an election this year, although he announced in 2017 that it would be held in November.
Initially promising to stay in power for only one year, the junta has postponed election dates several times since, citing the need to see through its reforms and ensure national security. (dpa/NAN)
