{"id":4264,"date":"2020-03-30T13:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T13:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/?post_type=story&p=4264"},"modified":"2025-05-13T07:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T07:20:57","slug":"june","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/en\/stories\/june\/","title":{"rendered":"June"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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30-03-2020<\/em><\/span>
\n<\/span>Written by: Patrick van Wersch<\/em>
\nEdited by: Olivia Ayes<\/em>
\nTranslations: Janina van Nielen<\/em><\/p>\n

She never asked for any of it. Not the awards. Not the grave charges filed against her. All she ever wanted was to defend others in the courtroom, but she ended up having to defend herself.<\/h3>\n

Despite circumstances conspiring against her, the 33-year-old Thai human rights lawyer manages to draw strength from her predicaments.<\/p>\n

Sirikan \u201cJune\u201d Charoensiri\u00a0carries the burden of responsibility with astonishing grit and perseverance. She is always humble but with a laser sharp focus on what needs to be achieved.<\/p>\n

Self-granted special powers<\/h2>\n

On the day of the interview, June\u2019s colleagues submitted a petition to amend or revoke at least thirty-five orders issued by the junta since the 2014 coup d\u2019\u00e9tat in Thailand\u00b9. Hundreds of pieces of law were passed in the past five years by the junta leadership, better known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). The NCPO exercised its sweeping powers granted by the 2014 interim Constitution \u2014 and by and large confirmed by the 2017 Constitution \u2014 to issue judicial, legislative, and executive orders that can\u2019t be challenged in the court.<\/p>\n

Only a new parliament can roll back what June calls a \u201cdictatorial legacy.\u201d Prayuth Chan-ocha, former army chief and leader of the pro-junta Palang Pracharat Party, has already been reappointed as Prime Minister following the general election in March 2019. A new Cabinet is also in place, and several military orders and decrees have been lifted\u00b2. But June remains concerned. \u201cMany Thai people think the junta-era restrictions are over, but military authorities can still detain civilians up to seven days without judicial oversight. Also, offences under NCPO decrees remain in place. So far, only 70 of the 557 decrees issued by the NCPO are being repealed (for more details read this analysis piece\u00b3 written by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights).\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n \n

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\"advocaat

Sirikan \u201cJune\u201d Charoensiri, 33, is a Thai human rights lawyer who in 2014 cofounded Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR). She\u2019s received numerous accolades over the past five years, including the L4L-Award and the International Women of Courage Award. In 2017, June stayed in Tilburg, Netherlands as part of the Shelter City programme.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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On 11 April 2019, after 24 March election, a small group of people and activists hold a gathering in Bangkok to demand Thailand\u2019s Election Commission stop filing charges of criminal defamation against those criticizing its performance and transparency during the election. Photo credit: Banrasdr Photo<\/p><\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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“Fast horse lawyers”<\/h2>\n

Before the 2014 coup happened, June was working in the southern region bordering Malaysia \u2014 an area under protracted violence for a long time. When martial law, in the wake of Thailand\u2019s twelfth coup d\u2019\u00e9tat, was implemented, she knew what would come. She met late one night with a few fellow lawyers. The small group decided to form a task force made up of lawyers, social activists, and volunteers, focused on preventing the abuse of power they all expected to occur.<\/p>\n

The ad hoc team started using Facebook to post hotline numbers that people in need of legal aid could use to contact them. The volunteers would take the calls. \u201cWe worked as \u2018fast horse lawyers\u2019,\u201d explains June. \u201cWe had to be on the scene quickly, because once protesters were taken to military camps we couldn\u2019t reach them anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

In July, two months after the coup, the team realised that this was not going to be a temporary situation. This would not be like the coups that had come before. The interim Constitution\u2019s Article 44 would effectively extend military jurisdiction over civilians and absolve the NCPO and officials operating under its orders from responsibility for any human rights violations. \u201cWe understood the intention,\u201d says June. \u201cThe junta wanted to rule, not solve the problem and leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Thai Lawyers for Human Rights was born.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Sleeping on the pavement<\/h2>\n

The Thai Lawyers for Human Rigths (TLHR) team soon came to the conclusion that litigation alone would not be an effective enough tool in a situation where even the judicial system was controlled by the state. They needed reliable information and reporting based on good data. That\u2019s why TLHR has two components: legal aid and documentation. Today, the group consists of eight fulltime lawyers, twenty volunteer lawyers, and eleven people working on documentation. To date, they have helped over three hundred clients.<\/p>\n

June joined TLHR full-time in the spring of 2015 and soon thereafter for the first time represented clients in court. It was a high-profile human rights case involving fourteen students from the New Democracy Movement who were arrested after carrying out peaceful protests calling for democracy and an end to military rule. Little did she know then that her life would be completely turned upside down, just for doing her job.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany Thai people think the junta-era restrictions are over, but military authorities can still detain civilians up to seven days without judicial oversight. Also, offenses under NCPO decrees remain in place.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On the first day of the trial, the young lawyer parked her black Honda CR-V in front of Bangkok\u2019s military court. In it were personal belongings of the fourteen students. The clients had asked her and their lawyers to keep their personal items safe before they were sent to a twelve-day pre-trial detention, ordered by a military court. After the trial, around midnight, police tried to search her car without a warrant, but June managed to fend them off. That night she and some of her lawyer fellows slept on the pavement outside the court house to prevent the officers from illegally searching her vehicle. The next day they came with a search warrant and confiscated five of her clients\u2019 mobile phones. To her great surprise, the young lawyer was later charged with two criminal offenses: refusing to comply with an official order and concealing evidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still waiting for a final decision on my case from the Attorney General\u2019s office,\u201d says June, clearly aggravated. \u201cI have to report to the prosecutor every two or three months. I have to come back again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Thai government, when pressed on this issue by the international community, claims the two charges have already been dropped, but June knows this is only partly true. \u201cThe local prosecutor issued an opinion stating I should not be indicted. Under our system, however, the opinion then has to be sent to the royal Thai police who made an opinion in favour of indictment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sirikan with Thai Lawyers for Human Rights colleagues and diplomats stand in front of the Chanasongkram Police Station.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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A clear case of judicial harassment<\/h2>\n

To make matters worse, a second charge was filed in 2016 after June attended a session of the UN\u2019s Human Rights Council in Geneva. When she reported to the police upon returning to Thailand, she was informed she was being charged for being an accomplice in a coup commemoration organized by her clients. International human rights organizations immediately called on the Thai government\u2074 to drop all proceedings.<\/p>\n

A Bangkok Post article\u2075 that appeared a week later reported: \u201cOfficers cited evidence of her carrying a plastic bag and brown envelope while rushing to her car, while a photo of her on the day of the commemoration showed that she was allegedly involved in her clients\u2019 activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

June is accused of sedition \u2014 making her the first Thai lawyer to be charged with this grave offence \u2014 and violating the junta\u2019s ban on political gatherings. If found guilty, she could face up to seven years in prison. She denies all charges, saying she was present at the commemoration event to give legal assistance to her clients. \u201cThey basically copy & pasted the accusation against my clients and mixed the first case (involving the car) with this new one,\u201d explains the human rights lawyer. As with the first charge, it\u2019s still unclear what will happen. \u201cThey keep telling me the police are still investigating my case. It\u2019s pretty much clear this whole thing is judicial harassment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the trial in 2015, the fourteen students have been charged in several other cases. Many still have to go to court to stand trial. According to June some of them feel tired because of the wrath they face. Some have left the movement; others joined pro-democracy political parties. \u201cAt least none of them are in jail,\u201d says June dryly.<\/p>\n

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On 9 February 2016, human rights defender Ms Sirikan Charoensiri received a summons ordering her to report to Chanasongkram Police Station in Bangkok. The human rights defender was accused of making a false police report and refusing to comply with an order of a competent official.<\/p><\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Stop being an annoying brat<\/h2>\n

Amidst the turmoil and the international spotlight shone on her person, the Thai human rights defender stays grounded and determined. She credits her humble beginnings with instilling those qualities into her character.<\/p>\n

June grew up in a small town in the northeastern province of Yasothon, where her mom was a teacher, her dad managed a small law office, and her grandparents were rice farmers. The family of five \u2014 June has two sisters \u2014 struggled financially but made ends meet.<\/p>\n

June always knew she was different. Her sisters would ask for video games, while she wanted to enrol in English tutorial classes. \u201cMy mom said I was already good at English and that I should stop being an annoying brat. But the wealthier kids in my class took after-school classes to improve their skills. It felt unfair to me that I couldn\u2019t. I remember thinking, \u2018Is this the world we live in?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Determined to claim what she felt should be hers, one day June climbed the wall of the tutorial building. The teacher saw her, invited her in, and said to tell her mother to just pay when she could. June was soon one of the top students, representing the school in different English language competitions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Civil rights issues<\/h2>\n

After that, the ambitious youngster set her sights higher. Her parents took out a loan to send their studious daughter to Bangkok to attend Triam Udom Suksa School, one of the country\u2019s most prestigious high schools. More than ever before, June would experience the gap between rich and poor.<\/p>\n

Girls in class called her out on having short hair down to her ears, different from the long and perfectly groomed hairdos of her affluent peers. \u201cAre you from a border province?,\u201d they would ask. She wasn\u2019t, but they made her feel self-conscious about her appearance, as well as her origin. June decided to show her worth by trying to outperform everyone in school.<\/p>\n

In 2003, she went to the US for a one-year student exchange. Her parents sold some of their rice paddy fields to finance the trip. Her African-American host family played a big role in getting June interested in civil rights issues. \u201cMy host mom was a retired public librarian. She had all of these books about the struggle of African Americans which she encouraged me to read and discuss about. I learned from her that a better life is out there, but you have to fight for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\"\"\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Immerse in “real society”<\/h2>\n

Soon after she returned to Thailand in 2004, the tsunami hit with devastating effect\u2076. June immediately signed up to volunteer in a camp in the South. People there asked why she came down. Her reply spoke volumes about the person she was becoming: \u201cWould you rather that I sit at home and watch this crisis unfold on TV?\u201d<\/p>\n

During her last year of high school, she had decided to study international relations at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University. Her volunteer experience changed everything. June\u2019s intolerance of suppression and treating people as second-class citizens steered her towards law, and at Thammasat University she found the right place to pursue her convictions.<\/p>\n

June wasn\u2019t a straight-A student but only because she invested a lot of time doing extracurricular activities, such as teaching kids with disabilities how to read. She wanted to immerse in what she calls the \u201creal society,\u201d and getting hung up on textbooks would get in the way of that.<\/p>\n

Still, June was drawn to public and international law. During one class in her third year, the professor discussed a case in Thailand about an expat prisoner who filed charges against the prison for putting shackles on him for twenty-four hours. \u201cIn that class, we didn\u2019t explore the whole legal framework of international human rights. We just read the court decision,\u201d recalls June. She knew she wanted to dig deeper, to see with her own eyes\u2014just like when she was a girl climbing a wall to watch the English tutor teach.<\/p>\n

Violence and silence<\/h2>\n

What followed was an internship with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), which enabled June to travel with foreign law experts to document human rights abuses in the South. After completing a master\u2019s degree in international human rights law at the University of Essex in England \u2014 on a World Bank Joint Japan Scholarship \u2014 she returned to the ICJ as a legal consultant in 2013, where she co-wrote a report on the unsolved enforced disappearance\u2077 of Muslim human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still one of the most inspiring stories and cases for June. She learned from senior peers that the disappearance was meant to spread fear among lawyers and law students. It didn\u2019t deter June. \u201cPart of our job is to prevent this from happening to others,\u201d she remarks decisively.<\/p>\n

What makes this so hard, according to June, is that in a country with serial coups, where violence and silence have become part of the norm, and accountability is often non-existent, people have become de-sensitized to acts of injustice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Litigation is not enough<\/h2>\n

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights seeks to re-sensitise the general public and legal practitioners specifically, to the forces encroaching on human rights in Thailand.<\/p>\n

In its 2018 report, Human Rights Watch lamented the failure of the government to \u201cdevelop measures to protect human rights defenders.\u2078\u201d It also faults authorities for not \u201cprosecuting members of its security forces responsible for torture and unlawful killings of ethnic Malay Muslims in the southern border provinces.\u201d The EU in its 2018 annual report\u2079 on human rights stated that in Thailand \u201ccriminal charges such as sedition, computer crime and public assembly, as well as defamation lawsuits, continued to be brought against human rights defenders and political activists.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), since the May 2015 coup d\u2019\u00e9tat, at least 127 people have been arrested for l\u00e8se-majest\u00e9\u00b9\u2070 (insulting the monarchy). Fifty-seven of them have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 35 years. One such case involved Siraphop Kornaroot, a 55-year-old writer and blogger arbitrarily detained for almost five years. Kornaroot is the last EU citizen who was arrested after the coup and decided not to plead guilty but submit himself to conviction by the military. He was released on bail in June 2019 after FIDH and TLHR petitioned his case with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.<\/p>\n

The outcome is rewarding, but June doesn\u2019t consider it an outright win. \u201cThe past four to five years we tried many times to get Siraphop released, to no avail. His release on bail is proof that in some situations litigation is not enough, although I know we need to keep doing that to uphold what we practice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThey keep telling me the police are still investigating my case. It\u2019s pretty much clear this whole thing is judicial harassment.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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June wasn\u2019t a straight-A student but only because she invested a lot of time doing extracurricular activities, such as teaching kids with disabilities how to read. She wanted to immerse in what she calls the \u201creal society,\u201d and getting hung up on textbooks would get in the way of that.<\/p>\n

Still, June was drawn to public and international law. During one class in her third year, the professor discussed a case in Thailand about an expat prisoner who filed charges against the prison for putting shackles on him for twenty-four hours. \u201cIn that class, we didn\u2019t explore the whole legal framework of international human rights. We just read the court decision,\u201d recalls June. She knew she wanted to dig deeper, to see with her own eyes\u2014just like when she was a girl climbing a wall to watch the English tutor teach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Pain is coming early<\/h2>\n

Resorting to out-of-the-box ideas to protect rights of people is more must than artifice for the Thai legal community. But June expresses concerns about the \u201clegal courage\u201d of people in the law community to do just that. \u201cI\u2019m tired of legal professionals saying we have to uphold the law without challenging restrictive laws and orders. We are under authoritarian rule and therefore need a strong judicial system more than ever. As lawyers we cannot accept that what constitutes a \u2018fair trial\u2019 is under threat. We have to be brave.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s no minor task when you know that in Thailand lawyers are at the bottom of legal society in terms of reverence and prestige. And human rights lawyers are at the lower end of that. In fact, when June told her parents about the career path she had chosen, they were very disappointed. They regretted investing so much money in her education. Her parents would have preferred June going into corporate law or working as a prosecutor.<\/p>\n

June\u2019s parents have since come around and now are proud of their pioneering daughter. In an emotional exchange her dad expressed admiration for the passion and the heart June puts into her work. \u201cMy dad told me that everything you do with heart causes a wound. He said he was only sad the pain is coming to me so early, but that it will make me even stronger than I already am.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Crossing the line<\/h2>\n

June\u2019s strengths have been tested many times in the past five years. But being a lawyer, she knows her rights and how to defend them. She\u2019s also well connected with influential national and international organisations. At TLHR, she worries mostly about her colleagues who are not legal professionals, who are doing documentation work out in the provinces, and are less familiar with legal channels and mechanisms.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s good reason to be concerned. Besides June, two TLHR team members are being prosecuted for violating junta rules. The organisation is under surveillance, and employees are sometimes followed. \u201cThe authorities know where we work, who we represent, and who we meet,\u201d says June. \u201cBut we have nothing to hide, we are in the light.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m perplexed when people tell me I should be glad that I\u2019m just being charged instead of \u2018disappearing.\u2019 [\u2026] [Y]ou cannot compare evil things with evil things. We shouldn\u2019t falsely ameliorate something that hasn\u2019t yet improved.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Focusing on the wellbeing of staff has become a big priority for the young human rights lawyer. In 2017, when she stayed for three months in the Netherlands as part of the Shelter City programme, June chose to do trainings on physical, mental, and digital security. When she returned to Bangkok she felt better equipped to take care of her staff \u2014 and herself.<\/p>\n

A turning point that prompted June to be more vigilant came back in 2015 after police impounded her car parked outside the military courthouse. The black Honda CR-V was actually her dad\u2019s. Three days after seizing it, authorities sent local police to her parents\u2019 house. Her mother hadn\u2019t heard the news yet. Officers questioned the mother about her daughter, showed a photo, and asked whether June was really a lawyer. June\u2019s mother invited them in, showing the policemen pictures of her daughter\u2019s graduation.<\/p>\n

Only later June told her mom about the incident involving the car, and it shocked her. \u201cThis crossed a line for me,\u201d says June. \u201cThey could have talked to me here in Bangkok. I knew from then on I would have to be conscientious and smart about my moves and actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A ride home<\/h2>\n

Although her work has caught the eye of the world, June clings to normalcy. She\u2019s uneasy about accepting awards that honour her personally because she feels strongly that the praise belongs even more to her colleagues. But over the years she\u2019s become more pragmatic, finding ways to utilise her reputation to draw attention to the human rights situation in Thailand, and to stimulate students to take up human rights law. Every time she\u2019s up for an accolade she discusses with the team: \u2018Will accepting this recognition benefit the work of TLHR?\u2019 In most cases, if the answer is \u2018yes,\u2019 June will accept.<\/p>\n

The overwhelming attention has its downsides as well. June has had to give up litigating in the court room because of the exposure that came with her legal troubles. It\u2019s become hard to assess the intentions of others, and there are some security concerns as well. That\u2019s why June took on a different role, which involves going abroad to speak about the Thai junta.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something I really wanted to do, but I figured since I was already in the spotlight I might as well go for it. Since I speak English and can conduct myself internationally, I decided to strengthen our collective force by being a bridge to the outside world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her nickname, \u2018June,\u2019 captures the essence of her passion for creating connections, although she only found out later in life. When she asked her dad about the nickname\u2019s origin, he told her it\u2019s Cambodian and has a positive meaning, without elaborating further. She later learned that her name translates to \u2018supporting someone,\u2019 or \u2018giving someone a ride home.\u2019<\/p>\n

It works on different levels. As one friend pointed out, \u201cDriving a car changed your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

UPDATE<\/strong>: On 27 August 2019, the Attorney General ordered to drop the case against June in which she was charged with an offence of refusing to comply with an official order and an offence of concealing evidence\u00b9\u00b9.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We thank June for her bravery and determination in defending rights in Thailand and inspiring future advocates worldwide.<\/h3>\n

[1] Thailand military seizes power in coup, BBC, 2014<\/a>
\n[2] Media bans lifted, military court cases transferred, Bangkok Post, 2019<\/a>
\n[3] Military authorities can still arbitrarily detain civilians Analysis of the Head of the NCPO Order no. 9\/2562 that repealed some Announcements\/Orders that are no longer necessary, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, 2019<\/a>
\n[4] Thailand: Immediately Drop Sedition Case Against Human Rights Lawyer, Human Rights Watch, 2016<\/a>
\n[5] The lawyer preparing to defend herself, Bangkok Post, 2016<\/a>
\n[6] Tsunami Damage in Thailand, NASA, 2024<\/a>
\n[7] Thai Lawyer\u2019s \u2018Disappearance\u2019 Unsolved 15 Years On, Human Rights Watch, 2015<\/a>
\n[8] Thailand, Human Rights Watch, 2019<\/a>
\n[9] EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2018 : Country Updates on Thailand, European Union External Action, 2018<\/a>
\n[10] Thailand: Siraphop Kornaroot released after almost 5 years of arbitrary detention for l\u00e8se-majest\u00e9, International Federation for Human Rights, 2019<\/a>
\n[11] Attorney General dropped a case against Lawyer June over her refusal to consent to warrantless search of her car, Thai Lawyers for Huma Rights, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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We need your support<\/h2>\n

Thanks to supporters like you, human rights defenders have access to a supportive and inspiring space in Shelter City Netherlands to re-energize, receive security training, and build an international network of solidarity.<\/p>\n

Your donation enables us to provide more support to human rights lawyers at risk. Thank you for your trust!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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