A man who violated the military ban on political gatherings yesterday called on the military court in Bangkok to transfer his case to a civilian court.
Pansak Srithep, who on Wednesday again walked 25 kilometres from his house in Nonthaburi's Bang Bua Thong area in a symbolic protest against allegedly unfair proceedings against him, yesterday arrived at the military court in Bangkok.
Pansak: Long walk for justice
Mr Pansak said the nine-hour walk marked his insistence on his belief that his case should not be tried in a military court because he is not a soldier and should have his charge handled under an ordinary process for civilians.
Mr Pansak said the military court has now agreed to consider his request for him to be tried in an ordinary court.
The court judge has given prosecutors 15 days to decide whether to object to the request before holding a joint meeting with a judge from the civilians' court to come to an agreement.
Mr Pansak said he is aware that not only is he confronting the military court, but also the army. The court is part of the army, he claimed, and to confront the military court is to confront the army.
Yet he still wants to use his basic rights to ask for fair treatment, he said.
Mr Pansak, an anti-coup activist, earlier in March staged a march against the military-engineered government, though such an act, which the army worries will spark disorder in a politically-fragile society, is strictly prohibited by authorities. He was arrested for prosecution in the military court but was later released on bail.
Asked whether his latest protest walk will lead to the court withdrawing his bail, Mr Pansak said he was not concerned. He felt unworried by such problems in life, as his only son had died five years ago, making him worry-free.
Mr Pansak, also often known as "Nong Choe's father," drew media attention after his 17-year-old son was shot dead by a sniper at Soi Rang Nam during the pro-Thaksin red-shirt protests in Bangkok in 2010.
He later formed a group, "Resistance Citizen", to protest against alleged injustice and the practice of trying civilians in military courts.