BANGKOK – In a stunning and horrific vindication of the government’s decision to treat the case of Daranee “Da Torpedo” Charnchoengsilpakul as a national security issue, the inflammatory words of the red-shirted defendant have escaped from prison and killed at least 12 people in Bangkok and injured over 300, some severely.
Arrested last year shortly after making the speech, which included defamatory remarks against the monarchy, at an anti-government rally, Daranee has been held in prison and repeatedly denied bail. Additionally, her trial was closed to reporters and outside observers by the presiding judge, citing national security as the reason for the special conditions.
Strict censorship over reporting of the case in the Thai media, as well as the aggressive blocking of websites and online forums which discuss the case have largely contained Daranee’s dangerous words. But one draft of the deadly text appears to have escaped into the Thai public domain via a chatroom at Panthip.com.
Once free, the toxic words spread widely throughout the capital, breaking windows and setting small fires. Daranee’s speech has also been reported turning over cars at intersections and firing a pistol into a crowd of schoolchildren. Police attempted to subdue the speech, but it proved too powerful and aggressive for them.
“It grabbed the gun from my hand,” said one injured policeman who was taken to hospital. “It started pistol-whipping me in the head and then ran off. I thought it was going to kill me.”
Though the policeman survived with only moderate injuries, others were not so lucky. The speech ran a public bus off Rama IV road, causing a crash that killed three passengers and injured many others. Later, flames ignited by the speech consumed a family of four inside their house in the Klong Toey area.
Additionally, persons who have encountered the speech on its rampage through the city have reported numbness, nausea, and in some extreme cases, loss of vision. The speech is suspected to have also killed farm animals, withered crops, and poisoned the water supply, though that has not yet been confirmed. Authorities have declared a nationwide state of emergency and urged everyone to stay indoors until the speech can be hunted down by the combined military forces and destroyed.
“These are no ordinary words,” explained General Anupong Paochinda. “This is a deadly force the likes of which we have never seen. I hate to say it but we tried to warn everyone. Now it may be too late.”
Since Daranee’s arrest, numerous western journalists and organizations have been writing about the case and calling for reform of the lèse-majesté laws under which she was charged. However, with the new developments conclusively showing that words can kill, the opinion of journalists has quickly swayed the other way.
“Clearly things are different in Thailand,” admitted BBC correspondent Jonathan Head, who was himself charged with lèse-majesté two years ago for reporting on possible royal involvement in the 2006 coup. “We outsiders must defer to their ancient wisdom and culture when it comes to domestic matters. I am terribly ashamed of my ignorance.”
The Economist magazine, which had been frequently withheld from distribution because of its in-depth reporting on the role of the king in political matters, issued an apology in its lead editorial, citing a “humbling lesson in how free speech is not a universal value; at least not in the totally morally separate universe of Asia.”
Daranee, who remains in custody, has been charged with 45 counts of murder, arson, mayhem, destruction of property, and treason against the Thai state in addition to her three counts of lèse-majesté. Although she is legally entitled to separate trials for each charge, many in the Thai government are calling for her immediate execution.
“This woman should never be allowed to speak again,” said caretaker Senate Speaker Major General Manoonkrit Roopkachorn, who himself overthrew or attempted to overthrow the government four times, including an unsuccessful seizure of Bangkok in April 1981, which forced the royal family and prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda to flee the city, and another in 1985 which killed five and injured 60. He was never charged for any crime after being granted parliamentary amnesty by subsequent governments consisting largely of ex-military men.
“It’s our duty to recognize the real threats to our nation,” Manoonkrit said, “and in Thailand words always speak louder than actions.”
