Nurse Who Witnessed Temple Slaughter Freed on Bail

Image: @iLawFX

BANGKOK — A key witness to a temple massacre during a 2010 military crackdown on street protests was released on bail Tuesday after a royal defamation accusation put her behind bars for a year.

The military court freed Nattathida Meewangpla on a bond of 900,000 baht, legal watchdog group iLaw said in a statement. Her trial, like many others that concern the monarchy, has been conducted in secret.

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Nattathida had volunteered as a medic when the army swept in to clear Redshirt protesters from downtown Bangkok in May 2010. She was later named by investigators as an eyewitness to soldiers firing into a crowd sheltering inside Wat Pathum, killing six people.

In 2015, Natthathida was held incommunicado by the army and later accused of plotting a terror attack. She was held in prison before she was freed on bail in July 2017 – only to be arrested again and sent back to jail on lese majeste offense. Police said they found messages defaming the monarchy on her phone after her first detention.

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Associates and friends had recently raised concerns about her mental health. Her trial is ongoing.