Chinese photographer faces Thai jail
Print Edition
A Chinese photographer may face five years in jail after he was detained for carrying a bullet-proof vest and helmet while covering the aftermath of last week’s deadly shrine bombing in Bangkok, Thai police said yesterday.
Anthony Kwan Hok-chun, who works for the Hong Kong-based Initium media group, was held by police after trying to depart Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday.
“We took this case, he will be charged with the normal process,” Police Colonel Santi Wannarak, a senior officer at the airport, said adding Kwan could face a military trial.
The photographer’s lawyer, Sirikarn Charoensiri, said the preliminary hearings were held at a civilian court in Samut Prakan province, where her client was charged with breaching Thailand’s Arms Control Act.
“Having a bullet-proof vest in possession without permission is subject to five years in jail and/or fine of no more than 50,000 baht (US$1,400),” she wrote in a text. He was later granted bail, she added.
Basic personal protection equipment commonly used by media around the world such as gas masks, ballistic vests and helmets are classified as weapons under Thailand’s Arms Control Act and must be licensed.
International media have flocked to Thailand following the August 17 shrine bombing which killed 20 people, including seven Chinese tourists, in downtown Bangkok. Scores more were wounded but no arrests have been made so far.
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