Senator Urges Expedited Protections for Political Defendants in Thailand
Senator Tevarit Manichai urged the Committee for Building a Peaceful Society to fast-track recommendations protecting defendants in politically motivated cases, especially lese-majeste offenses under Section 112. He proposed six measures, including bail rights, postponed trials, alternative detention, special sentence suspensions, separate detention quarters, and regulatory amendments, to reduce societal conflict and uphold human rights.
At 10:00 a.m. on October 19, 2026, at the Government House, Senator Tevarit Manichai, a former member of the Senate’s special committee considering the Peaceful Society Promotion Act, handed a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Prakorn Nilprapat, who chairs the Committee for Building a Peaceful Society. The letter was delivered through Roj Wara-promonkul Sakul, Director of the Legal and Central Regulations Division of the Office of the Prime Minister’s Permanent Secretary.
The senator asked the committee to expedite the preparation of recommendations under the Peaceful Society Promotion Act, 2026, concerning the protection of suspects and defendants in politically motivated cases that have not received amnesty. The proposals are to be submitted to the Cabinet, Parliament, and the judiciary to alleviate ongoing political conflict, which has so far lacked concrete progress.
Tevarit noted that, especially regarding lese-majeste cases under Criminal Code Section 112, many citizens and political activists remain detained or are undergoing trial, which hampers national reconciliation. He argued that those whose offenses are politically motivated should not be treated the same as ordinary criminals.
He urged the committee to formulate recommendations covering six measures: 1. Promote and protect the right to temporary release (bail) in line with the presumption of innocence. 2. Coordinate to establish guidelines for postponing or delaying court proceedings in political cases currently before the courts. 3. Apply detention measures in facilities other than prisons, as permitted under Section 33 of the Corrections Act, 2017, or Section 89/1 of the Criminal Procedure Code. 4. Set criteria and conditions for granting special suspension of sentences to foster national unity and peace. 5. Create separate detention quarters for individuals imprisoned for politically motivated offenses to ensure safety and meet UN minimum standards. 6. Amend relevant ministerial regulations, rules, or orders to enable implementation of the above measures.
The director of the Legal and Central Regulations Division said, as the committee’s secretariat, he would inform the meeting of the submitted proposal so that the committee could consider it and exercise its authority to forward it for further deliberation.
