use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality = , other_names = , siglum = , citizenship = , education = KMUTNB (

B.Eng. A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited college or university. In the UK, a Bache ...

) , alma_mater = , occupation = , years_active = , era = , employer = , organization = , agent = , known_for = Monarchy reform activist , notable_works = , style = , height = , television = , title = , term = , predecessor = , successor = , party = , movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charges = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse = , partner = , children = , parents = , mother = , father = , relatives = , family = , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Tiwagorn Withiton ( th, ทิวากร วิถีตน; ; born 31 October 1975) is a Thai political and human rights activist, farmer and engineer. He is one of the first political activists in Thailand that openly challenge the country's taboo, harsh punishment by the Monarchy defamation law, by publishing his photo of him wearing a printed 'I lost faith in the Monarchy' T-shirt. He has encouraged people to wear it because it stated a sentiment, not defamation. It went viral on social media, but later, Internal Security Operations Command took him to Psychiatric Hospital. It is one of the causes to start the

2020–2021 Thai protests In Thailand, protests began in early 2020 with demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. They later expanded to include the unprecedented demands for reform of the Thai monarchy. The protests were initially trig ...

' second wave protests, the largest demonstration since the

2014 Thai coup d'état On 22 May 2014, the Royal Thai Armed Forces, led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Commander of the Royal Thai Army (RTA), launched a coup d'état, the 12th since the country's first coup in 1932, against the caretaker government of Thailand, foll ...

, demanding him out of forcibly hospitalized. His movement is regarded as one of the biggest turning points of Thailand political landscape, earned him the person of the year 2020 by Prachatai.

Early life

Tiwagorn was born in the village of Don Chang in Mueang Khon Kaen District of Khon Kaen Province, northeastern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. In 1993, he attended an electrical engineering program in communication engineering and computer at King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, and graduated in 1998 to become an engineer in an IT company in Bangkok.

2006 coup and 2014 coup

In 2007, he realized the

2006 Thai coup d'état The 2006 Thai ''coup d'état'' took place on 19 September 2006, when the Royal Thai Army staged a ''coup d'état'' against the elected caretaker government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The ''coup d'état'', which was Thailand's first ...

did not make the country better. He came out to be one of the protesters in the Saturday Anti-Dictator Group movement by Suchart Nakbangsai. A political resistance was beginning in which he was involved in an online group talk 'Ratchadamnoen Camfrog' group, evolved from 'Pantip Ratchadamnoen' discussion web board. He was in the

2010 Thai political protests The 2010 Thai political protests were a series of political protests that were organised by the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) (also known as " Red Shirts") in Bangkok, Thailand from 12 March–19 May 2010 against the D ...

and remained in the

2010 Thai military crackdown On 10 April and 13–19 May 2010, the Thai military cracked down on the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) protests in central Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. The crackdown was the culmination of months of protests that cal ...

, after that he continued going out to protest with the Red Sunday Group by Sombat Boongam-anong. He created an online group talk 'RedTalk' (later 'FreedomTalk') for Red Shirts people. At the end of 2010, he announced to leave the Red Shirts group to his friends, one of his was a well-known activist, Kritsuda Khunasen. He quit a job, did a charity by building takraw court under Rama 7 bridge. He left Bangkok to Khon Kean after the

and discontinued his activism by focusing on farming in his home.

T-Shirt protest

Viral

On 16 June 2020, he posted
photo
in his Facebook account that went viral online. Before that, he proposed the idea of using the slogan 'I lost faith in the Monarchy' in 'The Royalists Marketplace', the monarchy-satire Facebook group by

Pavin Chachavalpongpun Pavin Chachavalpongpun ( th, ปวิน ชัชวาลพงศ์พันธ์; ; born 4 March 1971) is a Thai scholar notable for his criticism of the Thai monarchy. He currently resides in Japan as a political exile. Career Pavin rece ...

. Many users were concerned for lese majeste law which had been used broadly and unpredictably. His photo received more than 4,000 comments from both sides of political viewpoints. He re-entered activism again because Wanchalearm, a Thai political activist, was abducted by armed men in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

on 4 June 2020. On 19 June and 4 July, Internal Security Operations Command officer and a local police officer came to his house to discuss with him. On 5 July 2020, he showed the contract which signed him off of his family in his Facebook account for safety issues.

Political abuse of psychiatry

On 9 July 2020, 10 police and hospital vehicles came to his house in the early night, a group of police officers and nurses went into his house. He was forcedly carried out by a group of 6 officers and taken to hospital. In a car, the officers tied his hands with a cloth and inject him with unknown medication. The police searched his house and took his computer and smartphone, and made his mother sign a consent of bringing him to be admitted to Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital in Khon Kaen. Hospital director, Nattakorn Champathong, explained that Tiwagorn had not been forced to enter the hospital. Khon Kaen’s police chief, Major General Puttipong Musikul explained that he was getting treatment because his relatives had him admitted. Subsequent to protests by civil rights groups and media stories, Tiwagorn was released by Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital, on 22 July 2020.

References