Suthachai and Somyot were detained for interrogation purposes pertaining to the political protests associated with the Red Shirts. The Red Shirt group is the main opposition to the government in Thailand. Somyot and Suthachai have no recent activity as part of the core leadership of the Red Shirts. Their participation in the demonstrations was strictly on a journalistic and academic level. After their initial arrest, they were brought to Adisorn Army Base in Saraburi, which is approximately 115 km north of Bangkok, and placed in solitary confinement. On Friday May 28th, the Criminal Court in conjunction with the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) had extended the detention of Somyot and Suthachai until June 6th- seven days beyond the originally set date.

Associate Professor Suthachai Yimprasert, a history professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, was on a hunger strike during his confinement in protest to the treatment of himself and the other detainees. According to the Associated Press, “Suthachai was freed without any official notice Monday night and taken to Bangkok. Suthachai, a critic of the government, said the army apparently suspected him of being part of the next generation of Red Shirt leaders.” Though it is a victory that Suthachai was released, we still need to advocate for the secure discharge of Somyot. Currently, there are no charges filed against Somyot Pruksakasemsuk and no formal questioning session has yet to be arranged. There is a deep concern for his health and safety under the current circumstances.

Somyot is trying to assist in protecting current workers rights and freedom in Thailand, even as they are being threatened. In doing so, he, along with the Red Shirts, have become a victim. To learn more about particular violations of workers rights abroad and what you can do to help, please visit our Freedom at Work campaign and the Freedom at Work toolkit.  Continuous labor and human rights violations in Thailand cannot be tolerated anymore, especially in light of the detention of one of its forefront activists in the region.

    To take action, you can write to the Prime Minister of Thailand or the current Thai Ambassador to the US, Ambassador Don Pramudwinai, using the template here to urge for the immediate and safe release of Somyot Pruksakasemsuk.