Anon Numpa has spent his career defending those charged under Thailand's draconian royal defamation laws. FMTNews Thailand Activist
Pro-democracy protest leaders lock hands ahead of a police barricade during a street march in Bangkok on Wednesday.
He wrote on Facebook he had been forcibly taken by helicopter to Chiang Mai, where his lawyer confirmed he had been refused bail.“My freedom is a very small issue compared to the entire struggle for democracy,” he wrote.Anon has spent his career defending those charged under Thailand’s draconian royal defamation laws, which can see people jailed for up to 15 years per charge.
“I had to come out and be on the frontlines,” Anon told AFP in an interview last month, knowing the decision would make him a prime target. The law shields the royal family from defamation and can be broadly interpreted to target criticism as well. Today’s youth-led movement is demanding the resignation of Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the former military chief who led the 2014 coup and held on to power after last year’s disputed elections.
But his influence permeates every aspect of society, buttressed by the arch-royalist military and kingdom’s billionaire clans.
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