Concern for Writers, Academics and Activists in Thailand After Murder of Prominent Poet

PEN International is publicly condemning the murder of Thai "red shirt" poet Mainueng K. Kunthee, who was killed six weeks ago. The LA Times reports: "The 45-year-old writer was in a car in a parking lot when he was shot by an assailant who fled on a motorcycle; the poet and activist died at a hospital. Mainueng was killed on April 23 during a time of public debate and protest in the run-up to the Thai elections. The government has since been ousted in a military coup." And PEN writes in their call for concern:

PEN International is deeply concerned for the safety of writers, academics and activists in Thailand, who are increasingly at risk of attack and imprisonment solely for the peaceful expression of their opinions, and reminds the authorities of their obligations to protect freedom of expression under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Thailand is a state party.

Some background on Maineung:

Mainueng K. Kunthee, aged 45, has been widely known for his poetry since the late 1980s. His poems were published in a number of magazines including the Matichon Weekly in the 1990s, and according to Wat Walayangoon, another well-known red shirt writer and poet, he was popular for his direct poetic style and for voicing strong political messages. His poems call for social justice, the rights of the rural poor and for challenging the forces of oppression.

Mainueng strongly opposed the 2006 military coup and the subsequent crackdown on critics of the monarchy. He took part in many rallies of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), known as the “Red Shirts,” and became known as a “Red Shirts poet.” He was also very active in the campaign against Article 112 of the Penal Code, or lèse majesté law, which has been widely used to criminalise free expression and imprison writers, journalists and publishers. His murder is one of a string of violent attacks on activists and academics known to be critical of the monarchy and the lèse majesté law. For more details see Human Rights Watch’s article.

After the violent crackdown on ‘red-shirts’ in 2010, Mainueng withdrew from political rallies because of credible safety concerns, although many of his poems composed during the anti-coup era continued to be read at red-shirt gatherings. He became politically active again when the controversial amnesty draft bills were put before the Lower House in October 2013. Prior to his death he had been publicly campaigning for the granting of bail to lèse majesté detainees.

Mainueng made his living from a small restaurant, called the Duck Poet Society, specialising in duck dishes. He leaves behind a wife and two sons.

Read more at PEN International on the military coup that was declared in late May, the ensuing censorship and criticism; and to help appeal. And you can find Maineung's poem "Molding the Violent Passion" here.