Surachai threatens hunger strike

Lese-majeste detainee and Red Siam group leader Surachai Danwattananusorn vowed to begin a hunger strike next Wednesday if he is not moved to the new detention centre for political prisoners in Bangkok's Lak Si district, his wife Pranee Danwattananusorn told The Nation yesterday.

Pranee said Surachai, 69, was disheartened by the fact that he and another red shirt lese majeste detainee, Somyos Prueksakasem-suk, were not regarded as political prisoners. "If political cases do not include that of Surachai and Somyos, then what else is there to be said?" Pranee quoted her husband as saying. She said Surachai is already in poor health with heart and other conditions.

Forty-seven red shirts sentenced for crimes related to the April-May 2010 clashes were moved to the new detention centre on Tuesday. However, none of the 10 or so known lese-majeste detainees were transferred despite a proposal by the Truth for Reconciliation Committee of Thailand (TRCT). The government said it would consult with the TRCT.