BANGKOK — Thailand's military leader said he is personally troubled by the arrests and imprisonment of fourteen pro-democracy activists, but insisted that the investigation must go on.

"I am looking for a measure to open up dialogue and put an end to this matter," Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said this morning, five days after the 14 activists were arrested in Bangkok for a peaceful demonstration against his military government. "I have to admit that I feel uncomfortable at the use of the laws against these students."

"But at the same time," he continued, "we have to look at it from another angle, we have to look at the behavior and expression of these people. Are these actions of innocent children? Are politicians behind them? We have to prove it. We are investigating it right now." 

Gen. Prayuth has dismissed calls from the UN and European Union to release the 14 activists, eleven of whom are students at universities in Bangkok and Khon Kaen. The activists have been charged with inciting arrest for leading a small anti-junta gathering in Bangkok last week, and are now facing up to seven years in prison.

Asked by a reporter whether he could use Article 44 of the interim charter to grant amnesty to the activists, Gen. Prayuth said, "I cannot. If did, I would have to use Article 44 to grant amnesty to other people, too. It will go on without end."

Under Article 44 of the interim charter penned by the junta after the May 2014 coup, Gen. Prayuth is authorized to issue any legally-binding order without oversight. Gen. Prayuth has used the emergency power to ban public gatherings, censor the media, and allow security officers to search and detain individuals without charges.

Monks and other supporters gathered outside of Bangkok Remand Prison on 30 June 2015 to hold a candlelight vigil calling for the activists' release. 

Last night, around 50 people attended a candlelight vigil in front the prison where the 13 male activists are being held while they await trial. The 22-year-old female student belonging to the activist group, which calls itself the Neo-Democracy Movement, is being held in a separate prison for women.

Ten police officers observed the gathering, but did not interfere. "There will be no arrests," said Pol.Col. Thananthorn Rattanasitthiphak, superintendent of a local police station. "People can do activities to show support for the students, but they must not display any political symbols or use words that express political opinions." 

The group lit candles and sang popular activist anthems, including John Lennon's Imagine, before dispersing peacefully at around 8pm. 

Phra Mahapraiwan Worawannano, a monk from Wat Soi Thong Temple, said he attended the vigil because he wanted to show Gen. Prayuth that "his actions toward the students are unjust."

"This place is dark and full of injustice, so we have to light candles to bring light," said the monk, who contributed by bringing a large Buddhist Lent candle from his temple. "We are not inciting anything here. We are expressing ourselves in accordance with our liberties and rights."

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LOEI — Dozens of people gathered in northeastern Thailand this morning for an unexpected rally denouncing the student activists who were arrested in Bangkok last Friday for "inciting unrest" with a peaceful pro-democracy demonstration.

Officials allowed today's rally outside of Loei City Hall to go forward, highlighting the uneven application of the junta's ban on political gatherings, which has been consistently invoked to snuff out anti-coup protests but rarely used to silence supporters of the military government. 

The demonstration was led by a local administrator, Sombat Tonkam, who said the crowd of nearly 100 protesters hailed from six villages in Khao Luang subdistrict.

The demonstrators held signs condemning Dao Din, a progressive student group based in nearby Khon Kaen province that has campaigned for human rights and environmental issues in the region.

Seven university students from Dao Din were among the fourteen people arrestedin Bangkok last week for a peaceful demonstration against the ruling military junta. All fourteen are now being held in prison while they await a trial in military court on charges of inciting unrest and violating the junta’s orders. The UN and European Union urged Thailand on Tuesday to drop the charges and release the students, who are facing up to seven years in prison.

Some of the signs at today's rally in Loei said: "People of Khao Luang Don't Welcome Dao Din Group," "People of Loei province support the works of the government," and "People of Khao Luang have brains. Don't try to mislead us."

Earlier this month, the Dao Din activists visited a local activist group in Loei called Rak Baan Koed (love our homeland). For years, the Dao Din students have helped local villagers protest harmful mining operations in the province.

However, the leader of today's rally read a letter accusing the students of spreading "misunderstanding" among the people with their political campaigns.

"We ask security forces and the administration of Loei province to take legal action against Dao Din and Rak Baan Koed groups and their sympathizers," the letter said.  

The Governor of Loei, Viroj Jiwarangsa, personally accepted the letter from Sombat.

"[The protesters] are here to express their stance that the two groups have incorrect actions," the governor told reporters. "They are against the feeling of a majority of people who want a peaceful and legal solution to problems, in accordance with the way of the people of Loei." 

He added, "Dao Din group is from another province. Bringing a culture of conflict and political struggle to young people here is against the way of life of Loei." 

Chiang Mai trio released

Meanwhile, the three people arrested in connection with a brief pro-democracy demonstration in Chiang Mai province yesterday have been released, according to a military officer.

The demonstrators wore masks during the event, which was held to express solidarity with the activists arrested in Bangkok, and left before soldiers and police arrived at the scene.

Security officers later arrested three people at a nearby cafe, but released them without charges after establishing that they were not connected to the protest, according to an army officer who requested anonymity.

"Based on the interrogation, we found that they did not have any connection to the activities, so we recorded their basic information and released them," the officer said. 

SAMUT SAKHON – Thai fisherman say they need more time to comply with new regulations that come into effect tomorrow and will prevent scores of captains from leaving their ports.

Fishermen across Thailand’s major port cities, such as Songkhla, Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakarn, Ranong, and Chonburi, say they will be unable to fish after tomorrow because they cannot meet new regulations that require all fishing boats to have proper licenses, registered fishing equipment, and a navigation system that allows authorities to track their location at sea.

Those who fail to comply with the regulations can face up to three years in prison.

Kamolsak Lertpaiboon, secretary-general of the Fishing Association of Thailand, said yesterday that fishing businesses need more time to comply with the new law.

"There are many issues that we cannot fix in time, for example, radio systems on the boats, and the training of helmsman and mechanics," he said. "The state does not have sufficient [resources] to manage this, and operators cannot manage it in time."

Thailand’s military government passed the new law two months ago after the European Union issued Thailand a "yellow card" for its rampant illegal fishing practices. The EU gave the government until September to crack down on the industry or face a trade blacklist. 

According to Sanoh Mongkolsophonrat, the director of a provincial fishing association in Samut Prakarn, many captains are unable to afford the new environmentally-friendly trawling lines that are mandated under the law.

"If operators of fishing boats have to change the trawling lines to be legal, it would cost us three to four million baht per boat," Sanoh said. "A majority of us don't have reserve funds to pay for that. So we have to anchor our boats in the ports [to avoid arrests]."

He also estimated that only "two percent" of fishing boats in the entire province of Samut Prakan have licenses to operate legally.

The chairman of a fish merchants' association in Samut Sakhon said he is concerned that seafood products will stop arriving in fish markets by the end of the week. He said members of his association may have to fire workers if the boats are unable to resume fishing soon.

While most fishing captains interviewed by Khaosod said they will anchor their boats to avoid possible arrests tomorrow, a representative of a fishing association in Songkhla said that captains in the province will organize a protest against the regulations. 

"More than 90 percent of fishing boats in Songkhla are in trouble because they cannot sail out to catch fish. It is because their licenses do not match their fishing equipment," said Praporn Ekuru. "It is possible that all fishing boats in Songkhla will display our force by going out to anchor en masse in the bay of Songkhla Lake, in order to demand a solution to the troubles and suffering of fishermen."

Over 500 fishing boats are calling port in Songkhla today, Praporn said. 

SONGKHLA — A top police commander said it will take at least five years for the court to examine the testimony of more than 200 witnesses in a massive legal case against alleged human traffickers in southern Thailand.

Pol.Gen. Aek Angsananont, deputy chief of Royal Thai Police, said yesterday that Na Thawee Provincial Court has only completed one witness examination since police started arresting suspects belonging to the human trafficking network in early May. 

"The court is open for this special case on every Saturday and Sunday to make the witnesses examination process faster," Pol.Gen. Aek said. "Because there are more than 200 witnesses in this case. It will take at least 5 years to complete the witness examinations. As for the case files, they are still being deliberated on by the Office of Attorney-General, and we expect that they will formally bring the case to the Na Thawee Provincial Court within the next week."

Police have issued a total of 119 arrest warrants in connection to the trafficking ring since 1 May. Nine more suspects were arrested today, bringing the number of suspects in custody to 65. The suspects include local officials, politicians, police officers, and one senior army officer. 

"[Police] are urgently working to track down and arrest every suspect for prosecution, and we have assigned protection officers for every witness until the case is over," Pol.Gen. Aek said.

Thai police launched the unprecedented crackdown on a long-running smuggling operation in southern Thailand after discovering abandoned jungle prisons used to detain migrants and demand ransoms from their relatives. Most of the migrants were Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladeshis seeking to settle in Muslim-majority Malaysia. 

Hundreds of shallow graves – presumably containing the corpses of those who did not survive the grim conditions of the camps or were unable to secure enough money – were also found near the camps along the Thai-Malaysian border. 

For years, human rights groups and journalists have accused Thai authorities of turning a blind eye to the human trafficking network.  Last year, Thailand was downgraded by the US for failing to meet the minimum standards to combat people smuggling. 

There have been numerous reports of officials and military officers profiting from the illicit trade through bribes, and a documentary produced by the BBC this year found that "entire communities" assisted human traffickers in some parts of southern Thailand.