With Rung, Dateline goes behind the scenes of Thailand's protests. Watch the full story on SBS On Demand.
Rung looks entirely different from before. Her hair has been cut to shoulder-length and her blonde-dyed hair has been redyed black. She appears in the brown uniform of new inmates and is also wearing a blue mask and a plastic face shield.
After exchanging smiles, our conversation begins via visitor phone.
Rung says her hair was cut and redyed that morning. Her hair has been dyed black and has been cut to shoulder length to comply with prison regulations. She is still allowed to wear her own glasses, although she has been told to replace them with plain black frames without any pattern. She must ask her family to prepare these for her and have them sent in, given that she needs special lenses which must be pre-ordered.
Rung asks about the protests and about her friends. She looks thrilled upon hearing about the massive number of protestors joining demonstrations. Still, she is worried and concerned about everyone’s safety.
When we read her the messages that her friends and others want to convey to her, her eyes start to well up. She is touched by the messages from both her acquaintances and people she does not know personally.
We ask Rung about the conditions inside the prison. She says it is more crowded than the Thanyaburi Provincial Prison [where she was before], and the rules are more strictly enforced. The inmates who know who she is have come to greet her. At present, she is quarantined in a room with around 48 female inmates.
Rung says she has tried to scour for books to read and only managed to find one which interests her and could be useful. It is the Philosophy of Voltaire. The rest of the books are about religion.
When asked what she wants to tell people outside, Rung says: tell them that “I am fine, I have not disappeared anywhere. I am still with all of you ideologically. Even though physically, I remain in jail, my heart goes wherever you are. I encourage you on and thank everyone who has come out to fight with all our friends today. This keeps the hope to fight of all people inside (the prison) alive.”
“Please come out in massive numbers to show the feudalists that people have taken a stand and shown their ideal and their demands. And if the feudal dictators do not stop, if they continue to avoid meeting the demands of the people, the resistance will grow exponentially.”
“Down with feudalism, long live the people,” says Rung.
Before waving goodbye, we had our last hug. We both smile and try to hold our tears.
We flash three fingers to each other, and I say goodbye to the strong and calm Rung.
Read the original article by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights here, first published 26 October 2020.
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