Pavin Chachavalpongpun is an associate professor at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
When Thai police detained 47-year-old engineer Tiwagorn Vithiton, who lives in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen, on July 9, they bundled him off to a psychiatric hospital. The apparent reason, widely reported in the media, was suspected insanity after he posted pictures of himself in a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "I'm losing faith in the monarchy."
