Parit Chiwarak

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Not to be confused with Parit Wacharasindhu.

Parit Chiwarak
Born (1998-07-27) 27 July 1998 (age 25)
Lampang, Thailand
NationalityThai
Other namesPenguin
Alma materThammasat University
Occupations
  • Activist
  • student
Years active2015–present
Known for2020–2021 Thai protests' co-leader
AwardsJarupong Thongsin for Democracy Award (2021)

Parit Chiwarak (Thai: พริษฐ์ ชิวารักษ์; RTGS: Pharit Chiwarak, nicknamed Penguin; born 27 July 1998) is a Thai political activist, Thammasat University student at the Faculty of Political Science, and one of the leaders of the 2020 Thai protests, via the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group.[1][2] As of August 2021, he was recently[3] imprisoned again; his bail had been revoked "after a court accepted a prosecution submission that he had broken bail conditions".[3]

High-school student activism[edit]

Parit first came to media attention in 2015 at the age of 16, when he was General Secretary of the Education for Liberation of Siam (ELS) group, a progressive student group campaigning for education reform,[4] by campaigning for maintaining access to education in the face of a junta proposal to reduce the number of free years of education.[5]

As a student at Bangkok's prestigious Triam Udom Suksa School, he displayed a banner before Thai junta leader General Prayut Chan-o-cha asking how Thai children could avoid corruption.[6] In 2016, he was lauded for advocating against the 2016 junta-sponsored draft Thai Constitution on the grounds that it could remove 15 years of free education.[6][7] He was threatened with the 2007 Computer Crime Act for performing in a music video against draft constitution.[8] Parit also campaigned against the SOTUS system (Seniority, Order, Tradition, Unity, and Spirit), a set of hierarchical normative values for Thailand's tertiary education institutions that emphasizes seniority and hazing.[4] In 2017, Parit was involved in an ELS satire of Thailand's National Children's Day.[9]

University student activism[edit]

In February 2019, Parit demonstrated against Thai general Apirat Kongsompong's decision to broadcast the controversial Cold War military anthem ‘Nak Phaen Din’ (‘Scum of the Earth’) on the grounds that the song incited hatred and was charged with violating the 2015 Public Assembly Act.[10]

In June 2020, Parit was involved in a small protest that involved tying white ribbons around Bangkok to highlight the forced disappearance of Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit in Cambodia. He was subsequently charged under Section 12 of the 1992 Act on the Maintenance of the Cleanliness and Orderliness of the Country.[11] On 8 June, the SUT, led by Parit as former president of the SUT and spokesperson Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul organized a small public protest at Pathumwan Police Station against the prolongation of the COVID-19-related Emergency Decree.[12] On 24 June, Parit led a Student Union of Thailand protest, one of 15 such protests, to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the 1932 Siamese Revolution.[13] The next month, Parit was involved in the “Free Youth” rally in Bangkok on the 18th, the largest Thai political protest since the 2014 military coup.[14]

On 12 August, Thammasat University Student Union mobilized student guards to prevent Parit and Panusaya from being arrested by the police in an event that gained significant attention on social media.[15] Parit and others were arrested on 14 August on sedition and other charges related to his involvement in the July 18 protest, following which Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling on Thai authorities to immediately drop all charges and unconditionally release him and the other student protesters.[14] He was released on bail the following day[16] and subsequently became one of the leaders of the September protests.[17]

Arrests and imprisonment[edit]

Parit was first arrested in mid-August 2020 and then released on bail, and is currently facing 18 charges, from violating cleanliness laws to sedition.[17]

He is in prison as of February 2021, and has been denied bail.[18] He has since been on a hunger strike since 15 March 2021,[19] and was hospitalised on 30 April 2021 over concerns of shock if his condition worsened and require specialised care.[20]

He has been granted bail as of 11 May 2021.[21] In February 2022, he was freed after spending over six months in jail on bail to resume his studies at Thammasat University.[22] Upon his release, he flashed a three-finger protest salute sign.[23]

Awards & honors[edit]

  • Jarupong Thongsin for Democracy Award, Thailand (2021)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ English, Khaosod (7 September 2020). "Thammasat Protest to Go Ahead, Even Without Permission". Khaosod English. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Massive Crowd Gathers in Bangkok for Weekend of Pro-Democracy Protests". BenarNews. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Mum wants 'Penguin' moved out of prison hospital". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Hazing in Thai universities breeds authoritarianism: Anti-SOTUS group". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Government support for educational public organizations may be scrapped". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Three activists who break Thailand's deepest taboo". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Penguin: high school student sparks campaign against junta's draft charter". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Leading anti-junta activists under fire over referendum MV". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  9. ^ "'Get with the times': youth lead National Senior's Day". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Song battle at Army Headquarters". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Students arrested over white ribbon campaign for disappeared activist". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Stop silent coup: protest against prolonged Emergency Decree". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Student Union stages rally to commemorate 1932 revolution". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  14. ^ a b "HRW: student activists' arrest belie Thai govt.'s pledges to respect fundamental freedoms". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Students on alert after rumours of imminent arrest of protest leaders". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Activist Parit Chiwarak released on bail". Prachatai English. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  17. ^ a b Wangkiat, Paritta; Mahtani, Shibani. "Tens of thousands rally against the government in Thailand, inspired by student leaders". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  18. ^ 600 cops to line streets as jailed protest leaders decry double standards. "Appeal Court's ruling dismissing an appeal for the temporarily release of pro-democracy protest leaders including Parit Chiwarak, Arnon Nampa, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk and Patiwat "Mor Lam Bank" Saraiyaem"
  19. ^ "เพนกวิน พริษฐ์ อดอาหารประท้วงครบ 30 วัน ครอบครัวเผยน้ำหนักลดลงเกือบ 20 กิโลฯ ขณะที่รุ้ง ปนัสยาเอง ก็อดอาหารครบ 16 วันแล้ว". The Matter (in Thai). 14 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Thai protest leader hospitalised after 46-day hunger strike". Reuters. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Bail approved for 'Penguin', 'Ammy'". Bangkok Post.
  22. ^ "Thai pro-democracy student leader Parit Chiwarak freed on bail for 2020 protests". South China Morning Post. 24 February 2022.
  23. ^ Phaicharoen, Nontarat; Bhandari, Subel Rai (24 February 2022). "Thai Pro-Democracy Protest Leader Freed on Bail". Benar News.
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