Japanese man jailed for attacking Thai dissident with tear gas after breaking into his home

Former diplomat Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto University, suspects the attack was masterminded from Thailand

He writes books about the military and monarchy in Thailand, where criticism of the king is taboo – and his pro-democracy Facebook group has 2 million members

Agence France-Presse
Published 8 Jun, 2022

Thai academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun in a live video call in which he condemned Thailand’s government. Photo: AFP

A Japanese man was jailed for 20 months on Wednesday for attacking a Thai academic in Japan where he lives in self-exile following his vocal criticism of the military and monarchy.

The verdict was confirmed to AFP by the District Court in Kyoto, where former diplomat Pavin Chachavalpongpun has lived for the past decade.

Tatsuhiko Sato, 43, had last month admitted to breaking into Pavin’s home in 2019 and attacking the dissident and another person with tear gas, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK and other local media.

Pavin, an associate professor at Kyoto University, said he suspected the attack had been masterminded from Thailand.

“I truly believe that the Thai establishment is behind this because I have no enemies in Japan and have never took part in any political activity on Japanese soil,” the 51-year-old told AFP. “I am satisfied with the court’s verdict... However, the culprits behind this attack will still have to be pursued.”

Pavin has published books and other commentaries about the military and monarchy in Thailand, where criticism of the king is considered taboo. He is also an administrator of a Facebook group with more than two million members who discuss the royal family’s role in the country, as well as a pro-democracy movement’s proposals for reforms.

Thailand’s lese-majesty law is seen as one of the strictest in the world. Offenders can land up to 15 years in jail per charge for defaming, insulting, or threatening the king, queen, heir-apparent or regent.

At Sato’s first hearing last month, prosecutors sought two years in jail and argued it was a planned attack under an order from an accomplice, NHK said. Pavin said he did not know Sato and had not met him before the incident, which left the academic traumatised.

“The man could be linked to organised crime because there was a BMW waiting to pick him up,” he said. “I have had trouble sleeping at night. I also had to install at least five surveillance cameras in my house in addition to extra locks and an antitheft alarm.”

Pavin on a video call condemning the military-aligned government of Thailand’s Prime Minister. Photo: AFP

At least nine Thai dissidents who fled political persecution in Thailand have been forcibly disappeared in neighbouring countries in recent years, according to Human Rights Watch.

One of the most notable cases was the disappearance of pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who was abducted by armed men in broad daylight in Phnom Penh in 2020. He remains missing.

Pavin, who has been a thorn in the side of the army since it seized power in a 2014 coup, accused the military in 2016 of harassing his family in Thailand.