Prachatai for a few days ago:

A woman was arrested at a red-shirt activity in Ayutthaya for selling slippers with Abhisit’s face on them.

On 3 Oct, at about 5 pm, police arrested Amornwan Charoenkij, 42, for an offence under Section 9(3) of the Emergency Decree which prohibits ‘press releases and distribution or dissemination of letters, publications or any means of communication containing texts which may instigate fear amongst the people or is intended to distort information which leads to a misunderstanding of the emergency situation to the extent of affecting the security of the state or public order or the good morals of the people either in the area or locality where an emergency situation has been declared or the entire Kingdom.’

At about 11 pm, Surachet Chaikosol, a Phue Thai MP for the province, bailed her out using his political position as a guarantee.

Amornwan said that at first she intended not to request bail, because she was very angry with the charge.  She had sold the slippers at red-shirt gatherings at Ratchaprasong, Imperial shopping mall [red-shirt headquarters in Lad Phrao, Bangkok] and in Chiang Mai, apart from selling rice with omelets.
…
She expected that the remaining 40 pairs of slippers, out of 60 she had brought to sell, would be confiscated by the police.  The slippers were printed with a message, ‘People died at Ratchaprasong,’ and photos of Abhisit and Suthep Thaugsuban.

BP: So much for Abhisit’s claim, to the Council of Foreign Relations, that the authorities are no longer using the State of Emergency to detain people:

CRES is clearly having problems in communicating with Human Rights Watch. Because I read your report that was issued, I think, a couple of days ago, or yesterday, and I was surprised to learn that you mentioned things like detentions under the emergency decree, because that’s no longer happening. It took place in the early post-rally stages, when these people turned themselves in and before they were charged with — under the criminal procedures law. But now nobody’s — is detained.

Khao Sod has a picture of the flip-flops as per below:

Abhisit_Suthep_FlipFlop

That is Suthep on the left and Abhisit on the right. The words read “People died at Rajaprasong”.

Another key fact is as Sombat BoonNgarm-anong noted to Khao Sod is that the State of Emergency has already been lifted in that province (it is now only in place in 4 provinces and Ayuthaya is not one of them). Another point made by Sombat is that the yellows also sold flip-flops with Thaksin’s face on them – see here – but that they wre not detained.

BP: Imagine in 2008 the uproar if the police had detained people for selling shoes with Thaksin’s face on them….. The response now as per Prachatai:

According to ASTV-Manager, National Human Rights Commissioner Paiboon Varahapaitoon says that putting the photos of individuals on flip-flops for sale was not proper, because Thai society places importance on hierarchy and decency, as well as human dignity which is guaranteed in the constitution.  Such an act cannot be allowed, no matter whether the individuals in the photos are public figures or ordinary people, as it violates the rights of others.

He said that those who produced the flip-flops should consider other people’s rights, because if their photos were put on flip-flops by others, they would also be upset.  The case of a vendor arrested by police in Ayutthaya has to proceed according to the law.

BP: So isn’t the response to let Abhisit and Suthep sue for defamation. Also, what law? There is no state of emergency in Ayuthaya.