How much can a mother dedicate to her child? The story of ‘Petchlada,' the mother of a political prisoner, may provide a clear answer.
Around 3:30 AM every day, when the Bangkok Remand Prison opens, ‘Petchlada’ sits waiting at the guard post, hoping to be one of the first to receive a queue card to visit her son inside. The image of her, sitting on the sidewalk in front of the prison gates, before dawn has even broken, waiting to get a queue card, has likely become a familiar sight to the staff and regular visitors to the facility. She arrives to wait for a visit in the early hours like this every Monday to Friday.
“To go and see Get through the wall” is Petchlada’s simple answer when asked why she arrives there before dawn every day. She says she never feels tired because she knows that every time she visits, even if it’s only for a few minutes, it boosts her son's courage, showing him that his mother is still by his side, never leaving.
"Every time I stand there near the shrine my heart feels spirited. When the guards walk into the prison, they say, ‘Hey Get, your mom’s here. Your mom comes every day. We saw your mom at Golden Place. We saw her parking at the Jettakup Shrine.’ Get feels encouraged, thinking, ‘Hey my mom comes every day.’ [The guards say] ‘We saw your mom bring a truck full of dogs, running around in front of the prison hospital.’ It's like indirect communication. We don't need to write letters because I'm not good at that. I just bring the dogs and cats for the guards to see, and they'll tease Get inside. Get then knows that his mom is here.”
The name ‘Get’ or ‘Sophon Surarithdamrong,’ the son of Petchlada, is likely familiar to those who follow the youth movement in Thailand. He is an activist with the “Mok Luang Rim Nam” group and has been imprisoned since 24 August 2023, after the court sentenced him to a total of six years and six months in prison for two cases under Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code (lèse-majesté). The first case involves a speech at the “Tour Mu La Phua” flash mob held on 22 April 2022, for which the Criminal Court sentenced him to three years and six months in prison for violating Article 112 and using an amplifier without permission. This case is currently under appeal. The second case involves a speech at the event “Digging Up the Past: 240 Years, Who Killed King Taksin?”, for which the Thonburi Criminal Court sentenced him to three years in prison.
Get faces a total of four cases related to Article 112. The other two cases involve a speech at the 2022 International Workers’ Day event and reading a statement during the “WHAT HAPPENED IN THAILAND” protest at Asoke Intersection during the APEC 2022 Summit, which Thailand hosted.
Having her son prosecuted under Article 112 and imprisoned for political expression has been a major emotional and life-altering challenge for Petchlada and her family. However, as a mother, she continues to reassure her family with the words, "It will pass," to maintain hope and morale as they wait for the day her son will return home and they will be together again.
His Mother’s Memories of ‘Get-Sophon’
Photos of Get are displayed all over the house to ease the longing of family members, just like his dogs, cats, and fish that his mother continues to care for.
Petchlada says that Get grew up in a large, warm family, with a father, mother, grandparents, siblings, and pets. He was very close to both his father and mother. The parents and the child slept in the same room; they could talk about anything. Before entering college, Get and his mother were practically inseparable, doing everything together. One of the family activities they enjoyed was driving to different provinces with their dogs and cats.
For his mother Petchlada, Get is a calm and kind son. She remembers that his first paycheck from his internship, which he participated in for graduating from the Radiologic Technology program at the Faculty of Medicine, Navamindradhiraj University, was used to buy a gift for her.
“I never expected that he needed to finish school, get a job, and support us. I always tell him that as long as he can take care of himself, that’s enough. We agreed that we wouldn’t take his money. But he would always say that he knows I don’t need his money but he is kind-hearted and would buy things for us anyway.”
“The first job he did during his internship, he didn’t spend any money on himself. He took me to Central World, and I asked, 'Get, why are you bringing me here?’ He brought me to pick out and buy a lipstick with his first paycheck.”
Petchlada says that since childhood, Get was an excellent student, earning almost straight A's in all subjects. He loved the cartoon Detective Conan. Although he wasn't interested in politics as a young child, Petchlada says that Get showed an interest in issues of equality. When she drove to pick him up from school in his elementary years, the topics Get often shared with her were about his friends, accompanied by questions like, “Why is this person poor, and this one rich?” or “Why does this person have parents to drop them off, while that one doesn't?” His mother believes that observing the lives of his peers in school gradually formed questions about social inequality and disparity in his mind from a young age.
It was not until he entered university and became a member of the student council that Get's interest in politics become clearer and clearer.
“Entering the council as a commissioner in the student union really sparked his interest. He saw Rome [Rangsiman Rome, activist and politician from the People’s Party] speaking on stage fighting for causes, and it inspired him. If a member of the younger generation like him came out to speak the truth, he felt that there should be more young people with critical minds doing the same, and thus he began to take an interest in politics.”
A report from the website of the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) states that with hope and trust that Thai society could improve, Get decided to join ‘We Volunteer’ (known as ‘Wevo Guard’) in 2020 when the large-scale protests by the younger generation began to expand. He also joined the volunteer medical group DNA to provide medical support to the pro-democracy protestors.
Get and a group of friends decided to establish the ‘Mok Luang Rim Nam’ group on 12 August 2020, to advocate for the basic rights of students at Navamindradhiraj University. This initiative expanded to raise broader awareness of human rights issues in society. Get and the Mok Luang Rim Nam group also played a role in organizing a memorial event for the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of ‘Wanchalerm Satsaksit,’ which took place on 4 June 2021. They also travelled to submit an open letter to the Prime Minister, urging a serious investigation into Wanchalerm's disappearance.
“Everything will pass”
The fact that her son is being prosecuted under Article 112 and must enter prison feels like a huge wave crashing against the lives and minds of the family. Although she receives encouragement from relatives during this struggle, Petchlada admits that what happened has stressed out Get's father. The words she often uses to comfort Get's father and their family are to confront the situation without fear, because one day this ordeal will eventually pass.
“Mom reassures Dad, saying everything will pass. Just look at me; I am not bothered at all. Don’t be afraid. Living realistically is the best. Live our normal lives as if nothing has happened. Going to prison is like going to Big C [supermarket], because I go there every day."
Petchlada says she visits her son every day when the prison allows visitors so that he feels supported. At the same time, seeing her son maintain his strong spirit gives her the strength to keep her own spirits up as well. However, the only thing she asks her son is not to fight by starving himself or depriving himself of sleep ever again.
“He says he’s fighting, so I must fight with him. It does take strength, but I tell him, ‘You can fight, I can fight, but on the condition that you must not starve yourself, must not go without water, and must not deprive yourself of sleep. Because if something happens, you’re the one who will be sick, not those around you. It’ll make those outside feel miserable knowing you’re starving and going without sleep.”
“I don’t want him to do it again because he’s been sick from it before, and I feel sorry for him. When he gets ill, his lips, his body turns stiff. We’ve seen it before, so we feel sorry for him. I tell him every time I visit that grandma and grandpa are waiting. Grandfather is almost a hundred years old. Grandmother will be a hundred soon, they wait for you. This is the grave for our deceased dog, Miw; we made a spot for him in the garden. Everyone is waiting, so you need to come out whole.”
Get had previously announced a hunger strike to demand bail rights in May 2022 while he was first detained. He also declared a hunger strike on 7 February 2023, after he was imprisoned for the third time due to his bail being revoked in a case under Article 112, related to allegations of violating bail conditions by participating in a protest during the APEC meeting in November 2022. His declaration of a hunger strike and sleep strike aimed to support the demands of Tawan [Tantawan Tuatulanon] and Bam [Orawan Puphong] and to urge the court to create guarantees to ensure that no political detainees would be unfairly detained in the future.
‘Amnesty’ —The Highest Hope of the Mother
When asked about her highest hope as a mother, Petchlada immediately replied that it was amnesty.
“Amnesty, because my utmost hope is for amnesty; to have his case concluded in his period with no pending cases so that he won’t have a criminal record and can go on with his life”
“Because I tell my child every time, if he gets out of prison this time, or if he has to have his criminal record, I just hope he will only have to report to the court and then go about making a living. Because you (he) have responsibilities, have a family, you (he) might get married, have children, and we, parents are getting older; it’s about his future.”
There have been efforts pushed by the civil sector, such as the People's Amnesty Network, to propose the draft of the Amnesty Act to be presented to parliament. The content of this draft law covers six types of cases, including cases according to the announcements and orders of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), cases of civilians prosecuted in military courts, cases according to the offenses stated in Article 112 of the Criminal Code, cases under the Emergency Decree, cases under the Referendum Act, and cases related to the aforementioned offenses. The amnesty period would start from the coup in 2006, aiming to unlock the long-standing conflict in Thai society that has persisted for nearly two decades.
Although Petchlada believes that pushing for this Amnesty Act will not be easy, she hopes that the passage of this law will ultimately be successful.
"But if possible, I would like those in power to grant amnesty for these activities. Let it pass. It’s our children’s future."
“And when compared with those who have killed people and have been granted bail, or those who have embezzled and received bail, there are so many examples. Because we see in court that those in on drug cases can get bail, but what about thought crimes and political prisoners?"
Support from the community is valuable to the families of political prisoners
In addition to providing encouragement within the family, Get Sophon’s mother expressed her gratitude for the support received from outsiders.
Every time she participates in the “Stop Stand Imprison” protest, where mothers and the public come together to demand justice and bail rights for political prisoners, she allocates part of her coffee money, which she usually spends on three cups a day, to buy pork, chicken, and ingredients to prepare meals for those who join the protest. This is her way of showing appreciation for those who fight for justice for her child, who is among those facing political charges, but she insists that it is not a way of providing funds to draw people to the event.
“They care about my child, so I take food to share, but it’s not about giving out money. I don’t have that much.”
“It’s very encouraging that they have not forgotten my child, as everyone tells Get to keep fighting.”
“Encouragement is a big deal, so are strong will, toughness and endurance.” Petchlada concluded at the end of the conversation, emphasizing the strong spirit of this mother amidst the difficult and exhausting situation. She is waiting for her son to return so they can be together again and live a normal life.
