Last night, 25-year-old Sitthichoke was arrested at his home in the Rangsit area on Section 112 charge, lese majeste.
At the 18 July protest, the food deliveryman was caught on camera allegedly attempting to burn the effigy of His Majesty the King.
After others prevented him from the act, he got on his motorbike with a Foodpanda box strapped to the back and drove away.
The incident was reported to Foodpanda, to which the Facebook admin immediately posted an announcement calling it “an act of violence and terrorism” and said the rider would be fired.
After social media backlash and #Banfoodpanda (#แบนfoodpanda) top trended, Foopanda scrambled for damage control by apologizing and further explaining.
Pro-government supporters campaign to save Foodpanda, but ultra-monarchist Major General Doctor Rienthong Nana, the head of Mongkutwattana General Hospital, would have none of it.
He posted on his Facebook Page, banning Foodpand delivery from the hospital premises, demanding all hospital staff and patients not order from the app.
In October last year, the good doctor fired a surgeon who signed a statement condemning the government’s crackdown on protestors at Pathumwan Intersection.
“The Mongkutwattana General Hospital has a clear policy not to hire anyone who aligns with the enemies of the King,” he said.
Meanwhile, leading democracy activist and human rights lawyer, Anon Nampa posted on his Facebook Page:
“I insist that the burning of an effigy is a peaceful act. Although, of course, a peaceful act may be illegal. Such as the burning of an effigy may constitute destruction of property. The hanging of a banner may violate the Cleanliness Act. Protesting naked may violate Public Decency Act. Or, gathering in the street to make demands may violate highway or traffic laws. But still, these are peaceful actions.
Peaceful actions are not necessarily quiet and calm. Such as banging pots and pans. These are peaceful actions.
There are also legal non-peaceful actions, such as a judge sentencing someone to execution. Surely this is not peaceful, but it is legal.
We must differentiate between peaceful and legal actions. At times, peaceful actions are an act of civil disobedience. In other words, willful breaking of law to demonstrate the danger of that which the law protects.
Importantly, we must not factor in our personal beliefs, which biasedly judge the other side as violent and our side as peaceful. For example, if Sa-lim burns the effigy of Thanathorn or Thaksin, this too is a peaceful act. Conversely, if Sa-lim says burning the effigy of Thanathorn or Thaksin is a peaceful act. It would then be wrong for them to say burning the King’s effigy isn’t a peaceful act. Peaceful actions also include mocking photoshops. But whether they are legal or not, to our personal liking or not, it is a different issue.
Certainly, I would not support anyone to burn effigy because it would cause pollution. [smiley face]”