More than fifty days have passed and Tantawan Tuatulanon and Orawan Phuphong are still alive.

Since January 18, these two young Thai activists aged 21 and 23, referred to most of the time by their nicknames "Tawan" and "Bam", have been on a hunger strike and live between prison, hospital and court. .

Tuesday, March 7, when their state of health aroused great concern, they were hospitalized in Bangkok and agreed to receive water and mineral salts.

But a few hours later, they let it be known that, despite this break, they still refused to give up their fight.

"I spoke to them. They are better but they are still very tired," worried their lawyer, Kunthika Nutcharut.

"Tawan" and "Bam" have three demands: they claim, first, a reform of the lèse-majesté law, considered one of the strictest in the world, and under the blow of which they are prosecuted.

They also call for a reform of the Thai judicial system and demand the release on bail of pro-democracy activists.

Arrested in the wake of the major protests that shook the country in 2020, the latter are still imprisoned pending trial.

More than 200 people prosecuted for lèse-majesté

In October 2020, thousands of Thais took to the streets of Bangkok to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, in power since a coup in 2014. In the processions, the demonstrators demanded, however, also , a reform of the monarchy – an unprecedented event in this country where the king enjoys a status of quasi-divinity.

In response, more than 200 people, including several minors, have been convicted or are currently the subject of lèse-majesté proceedings.

A crime which, under article 112 of the Penal Code, is punishable by three months to fifteen years in prison.

Penalties can also be cumulative.

At the end of January, Mongkhon Thirakot, a 29-year-old Thai, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for fourteen acts of defamation of the monarchy, mainly due to messages posted on social networks.

At the same time, nearly 1,600 people have been convicted or prosecuted for other "political" offenses since 2020, such as sedition, according to the human rights NGO Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

"Many lament that 'Tawan' and 'Bam' are going on this hunger strike knowing they won't win. But it's a way for them to show the public the ugliness of the justice system, the monarchy and all key institutions," says Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a political exile, associate professor of politics and international relations at Kyoto University.

Arrested for a survey in a supermarket

The two women, respectively a student and a cashier in a supermarket, are, for their part, under lèse-majesté charges for having organized a "survey" in a large shopping center in the center of Bangkok where they asked people s they were embarrassed by the passage of royal processions in the streets.

Arrested in early 2022, they were released on bail in March, with the promise not to participate in any action that would challenge the monarchy.

It was therefore free and awaiting trial that, on January 16, 2023, they appeared before a court in Bangkok to demand that their parole be revoked – which meant returning to prison.

Two days after their return behind bars, the two political activists started their hunger strike.

Their objective behind this gesture: to support pro-democracy activists still incarcerated and awaiting trial, and to alert public opinion to the conditions of detention.

"This is the first time in Thailand that people have gone on a hunger strike to support other people," said Kunthika Nutcharut, their lawyer.

"The first three days, they did a dry fast [they refused to drink and eat, editor's note]", she continues.

"It was so extreme that they quickly became very ill, to a point that doctors rarely deal with."

After several weeks of going back and forth between hospital and prison cell, their condition deteriorated sharply on March 3, the doctors even claiming to fear for their lives.

"'Tawan' was so weak that she no longer reacted", testifies the lawyer.

"They finally agreed to be hospitalized, thinking that, as long as they are alive, other activists could see the charges against them dropped."

Among the ten activists who were still detained awaiting trial when "Tawan" and "Bam" began their hunger strike, seven were released.

"And some say it's thanks to their action," says Pavin Chachavalpongpun.

According to the lawyer for the two young women, other activists, on parole, have been able to get rid of various surveillance measures such as electronic bracelets.

Embarrassment of the government two months before the elections

However, this is not the first time that activists have gone on a hunger strike to raise awareness of their situation.

Parit Chiwarak, known as "Penguin", obtained his release on bail in 2022 after 57 days without food.

But this time, the case of "Tawan" and "Bam" caused an unprecedented wave of excitement in the country, attracting the attention of many national and international media.

An open letter calling on the government to lift the charges against the two young women, on the initiative of Amnesty International, has collected thousands of signatures.

Enough to embarrass Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha just weeks before the next legislative elections, scheduled for May, for which he is a candidate for re-election.

At the beginning of February, the latter thus called on justice to "give the greatest attention to the two strikers", while urging parents to "monitor the behavior of their children" and "to inculcate in them the knowledge necessary so that they do not believe not to political manipulation".

"For the moment, the Thai government has shown little good will to improve the situation of 'Tawan' and 'Bam'", denounces Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong, researcher at the regional office of Amnesty International in Thailand.

"Anyway, in general, he does not give the young people who participate in the demonstrations the importance they deserve."

Conversely, the two main opposition parties, the Pheu Thai Party of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the Move Forward Party, a progressive movement that attracts urban and educated youth, have called for "saving the lives of two activists" and to free the pro-democracy demonstrators.

The Move Forward Party even went further by reiterating its wish to reform the lèse-majesté law: the party had already caused an outcry by announcing, in 2020, its wish to limit the penalties incurred to one year in prison and to a fine in case of criticism of the king.

What arouse the hope of pro-democracy activists as the election approaches, while the mobilization is struggling to survive.

"The election is perceived as a light at the end of the tunnel", explains Pavin Chachavalpongpun.

"For pro-democracy activists, we still have to hold out for a few more months, until the vote. Then, if the results are not satisfactory, it will be time to think about returning to protest."

This article was adapted from English by Cyrielle Cabot.

The original can be found here.

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