Patiwat gets bail, protesting crowds are steaming

The criminal court has granted bail to Patiwat Saraiyaem, one of the main protesters sentenced to jail in connection with last year’s large-scale protests, including the Queen’s Ma.

Patiwat is known for his folk nickname Morlum Bank in the northeast. He has been set as a 200,000 baht bond along with two other detainees Somyot Pruksakasemsuk and Jatupat “Pai” Boontararaksa. The condition is that they must not violate the further rules regarding the open discussion of the monarchy.

Pativat delivered a speech in court at the hearing on March 29, vowing not to violate Article 112 of the Criminal Law and stay away from political gatherings. He added that if he is released on bail, he will return to singing folk songs to earn a living and is willing to meet all the bail conditions set by the court, including wearing electronic tags.

However, the court rejected the applications of Mr. Somyot and Mr. Jatupat, saying that they are likely to appeal again. Twenty-two of the two were detained on charges related to protests against which they were criticized in court. These protesters-also including Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Arnon Nampa, Panupong “Mike” Jadnok and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul-were sentenced to several weeks in prison after being accused of rudeness.