By CS Thana
BANGKOK
Over 500 protesters gathered in downtown Bangkok for around two hours late Friday to demand the release of students arrested by the military last week.
The gathering -- on the platform of the National Stadium Skytrain Station -- was one of the largest shows of defiance against the military dictatorship this year.
An Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene said that the crowd -- a combination of students, activists and everyday people -- called on the ruling military government to release those arrested June 26 who are facing charges of sedition and seven years in jail.
They plastered flyers and post-it stickers on a makeshift wall outside the station calling for the military to step down and expressing support for the students.
"Long live the people,” read one post-it, while another sign exclaimed, "The people are behind the students" -- alluding to comments made by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in which he accused political agitators of influencing students.
The gathering was watched by over 50 military personnel who cordoned off the area and took photographs of the protesters in a bid to identify ringleaders.
Those arrested last Friday face seven years in jail for organizing a series of protests aimed at defying a military ban on political gathering and calling for Prayuth to step down from power.
Both the European Union and the United Nations have called for their release, while rights groups such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International have expressed support.
HRW released a statement calling for the students’ immediate release, saying their arrest signified the junta’s "unwillingness to ease its oppressive rule."
"While insisting they aren’t dictators, the Thai generals have used the military courts as a central feature of their crackdown against peaceful criticism and political dissent," said Brad Adams, the group’s Asia director.
Since coming into power in May 2014, Thailand’s military government has cracked down on dissent and civil liberty.
The military argues that such measures are necessary to ensure “national security” and a smooth transition back to democracy.
