Aum Neko

Aum Neko
อั้ม เนโกะ
Born
Saran Chuichai

(1993-12-29) December 29, 1993
Bangkok, Thailand
Other namesAum Neko
Mimi Chuichai
EducationThammasat University
OccupationActivist
Years active2013–present
Known forLèse-majesté protesting

Saran Chuichai (Thai: ศรัณย์ ฉุยฉาย; born 29 December 1993), also known by the pseudonym Aum Neko (Thai: อั้ม เนโกะ), is a Thai activist and a political refugee in France. She is known for campaigning against Thailand's lèse-majesté laws, as well as for the rights of trans people and sex workers.

She has been a refugee in France since 2015, having fled persecution by the National Council for Peace and Order.[1] She co-chairs the French trans support association Acceptess-T.

Early life

Neko was born in Bangkok on December 29th, 1993. Originally given the name "Sarun Chuichai", she was assigned male at birth.

She studied English and German at Chulalongkorn University for a year before attending Thammasat University.

Like most Thai universities, Chulalongkorn demands students wear a uniform matching their sex, regardless of their gender.[2][3]. Neko found Thammasat University "to be known as a more liberal institution, and to be more respectful of human dignity" where uniforms were not strictly mandatory. Nonetheless, uniforms remained mandatory during exams and in school ID photos, with penalties for noncompliance ranging up to expulsion.[4][5][6]

In 2012, Neko publicly criticized article 112 of Thailand penal code.[2] Later that year, she helped replace the university's flag with a black flag in protest of the dean's ultra-royalist stance.[7] She was subsequently suspended for two years.[3] Due to her refusal to wear an assigned uniform and her various protests around school, Neko found herself the target of a campaign aiming for her permanent dismissal from campus.[2]

In 2013, Neko launched a provocative campaign against assigned uniforms, putting up posters depicting uniformed students simulating sex acts. The campaign caught the public's attention[2][8][9], but viewers were neither shocked nor won over[3][6].

Lèse-majesté, military coup and exile

Later that year, in September 2013, television presenter Fah Pornitipa (also known as Pontipa Supatnukul[10] or Phornthipa Supatnukul[11]) filed a police report, accusing Neko of having committed lèse-majesté during the taping of Pornitipa's show Best of Your Life.[12] Neko is said to have criticized the monarchy's lack of transparency and the rule that Thai citizens must stand up for the national anthem in theaters and movie theaters. The show was never aired.[3]

During the 2014 Thai coup d'état, Neko faced direct threats of death, torture, and imprisonment.[13][14] After contacting the German and French embassies, she was able to leave Thailand and obtain political asylum in France. On June 13th, a warrant was issued for her arrest, and she was stopped at Incheon International Airport before being released by South Korean authorities.[2]

In 2015, the Bangkok Post confirmed that Neko, Thai historian Somsak Jeamteerasakul, and political historian Jaran Ditapichai were still wanted for lèse-majesté, and that Thailand had asked for their extradition. [15][16][17][18] That same year Neko officially became a French political refugee.[3]

In 2016, Neko received additional death threats after publishing social media posts celebrating the death of king Rama IX.[19][3]

Paris Attack

On the evening of 17 November 2019, Neko and fellow refugee Nithiwat Wannasiri, a musician with the Thai band Faiyen (ไฟเย็น)[20][21], were violently assaulted. The investigators found that the assault was premeditated, with pictures of Neko, Wannasiri, and Jaran Ditapichai found on the assailants' phones.[22] The attackers were arrested trying to steal a scooter while attempting to flee the crime scene. Both men, Daniel Vokal, 28, and Jakub Ozek, 26, were Czech nightclub bouncers.[23][24] They told the investigators they were in Paris to take part in a march organized by a far-right group they belonged to, but later retracted that statement. Ozek added that he agreed to be paid 50,000 Czech crowns (about $2,500 US dollars) to commit the assault, before also recanting the statement. Both men were sentenced to twenty-six and thirty months in prison, respectively.[25][26]

Vokal and Ozek were sponsored by Petr Donatek, another Czech who paid for their airfare, hotel rooms, and was seen buying drinks for them, as well as filming the assault. Donatek was able to go back to the Czech Republic before being tried in France and sentenced to four years in prison.[27]

Donatek maintained ties with Czech far-right figure Tomio Okamura.[28][29] Other similar assaults have occurred against Thai refugees abroad, including, in the case of Pavin Chachavalpongpun, in Japan. During the investigation into the latter, Japanese police also suspected Czech criminals, according to Chachavalpongpun.[28] These events, as well as the geographical proximity between Prague and Bavaria, where King Vajiralongkorn maintains a residence, have led to some speculation that the Thai Crown could have sponsored such attacks against refugees abroad. These claims remain unsubstantiated.[28]

Current work and political views

Neko is the co-president and spokeswoman for the organization Acceptess-T, which is dedicated to helping transgender people in the France, most notably immigrant sex workers. [30] She is also a spokeswoman for the Syndicat du travail sexuel (STRASS), campaigning for the decriminalization of sex work patronage.[31]

On August 22, 2023, billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra was allowed back into Thailand following a 17-year exile. His return was made possible thanks to a collaboration with the Thai military junta.[32]. Neko has been a longtime supporter of Shinawatra, and now aligns with his more conservative, royalist discourse. She denounces the political party Move Forward as a "lackey of western capitalism".[33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "La militante Aum Neko "fête" 4 ans d'exil en France en tant que femme". Le Petit Journal (in French). Camille Thomaso. August 5, 2019. Archived from the original on June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Life for a Thai in exile: Aum Neko in France". Prachatai. 2015-05-22. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Adrien Le Gal (2019). "Aum Neko, réfugiée libérée". Le Monde.
  4. ↑ Mérieau, Eugénie (2018). Thaïlandais. Lignes de vie d'un peuple [Thai: life lines of a people] (in French). Paris: Ateliers henry dougier. pp. 134–139. ISBN 979-10-312-0445-1.
  5. ↑ Eugénie Mérieau (June 2015). "Entretien avec Aum Neko" (PDF). Gavroche Thaïlande (248): 60–61. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2026-05-18. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  6. 1 2 "Thailand: Student uniform protest 'ends in court'". BBC. 2013-09-23. Archived from the original on 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  7. ↑ Thepbamrung, Nattha (2013-12-15). "Serial agitator faces Thammasat's wrath over flag-flying protest". Bangkok Post. Archived from the original on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  8. ↑ Thepbamrung, Nattha (2013-09-22). "How Thammasat lost its faculties". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  9. ↑ Na Ranong, Jetjaras (30 October 2013). "Examining university uniform". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  10. ↑ Eugénie Mérieau (October 2013). "Valeurs traditionnelles et régime général de dénonciation - Etat des lieux de la lèse-majesté" (PDF). Gavroche Thaïlande (228): 53. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-10-04. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  11. ↑ "Lese majeste charged against Aum Neko". Bangkok Post. 2013-09-13. Archived from the original on 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  12. ↑ "Thailand: Student uniform protest 'ends in court'". BBC News. 2013-09-23. Archived from the original on 2026-06-08. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  13. ↑ Isoux, Carol (2019-02-14). "Thaïlande : le crime de lèse-majesté pourchassé jusqu'au Laos". Libération. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  14. ↑ "En Thaïlande, une révolution en profondeur est en marche". La Croix (in French). 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  15. ↑ "Govt 'will not make move' against Thai political exiles". Bangkok Post. 2015-06-30. Archived from the original on 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  16. ↑ Laohong, King-oua (2015-07-13). "Names of lese majeste fugitives given to French envoy". Bangkok Post. Archived from the original on 2025-02-23. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  17. ↑ Laohong, King-oua (2015-07-14). "Paiboon asks France to deport fugitives". Bangkok Post. Archived from the original on 2025-02-23. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  18. ↑ "Thai Minister Asks French Diplomat to Extradite Lese Majeste Suspects". Khaosod. 2015-07-14. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  19. ↑ "Aum Neko, Thaïlandaise menacée de mort en France pour «lèse-majesté»". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  20. ↑ Rojanaphruk, Pravit (2019-08-03). "'Faiyen' Anti-Monarchy Musicians Seek Asylum in Paris". Khaosod. Archived from the original on 2026-06-08. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  21. ↑ "Thai dissident musicians celebrate getting French haven". Yahoo News. 2019-08-06. Archived from the original on 2026-06-08. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  22. ↑ "De Prague à Paris, la répression thaïlandaise a le bras long". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  23. ↑ "A Paris, la militante thaïlandaise, les gros bras tchèques et l'opération coups de poing". Le Monde (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  24. ↑ "De Prague à Paris, la répression thaïlandaise a le bras long". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  25. ↑ "De Prague à Paris, la répression thaïlandaise a le bras long". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  26. ↑ Defranoux, Laurence (2021-11-24). "Affaire des opposants thaïlandais agressés en France : trois Tchèques condamnés". Libération. Archived from the original on 2026-06-08. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  27. ↑ "De Prague à Paris, la répression thaïlandaise a le bras long". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  28. 1 2 3 Laurence Defranoux (22 November 2021). "De Prague à Paris, la répression thaïlandaise a le bras long". Libération.
  29. ↑ Pedroletti, Brice; Le Gal, Adrien (2021-12-02). "A Paris, la militante thaïlandaise, les gros bras tchèques et l'opération coups de poing". Le Monde (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  30. ↑ Le Gal, Adrien (2019-02-08). "Aum Neko, réfugiée libérée". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2026-06-06.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  31. ↑ "Sex Workers on the Nordic Model". Institute of Contemporary Arts. Archived from the original on 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  32. ↑ "Move Forward dissolution bid part of Thaksin's secret deal". Thai Newsroom. 2024-03-15. Archived from the original on 2024-11-26. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
  33. ↑ พรรคส้มเป็นพรรค ขี้ข้าจักรวรรดินิยมตะวันตก 'อั้ม เนโกะ' ชี้พรรคก้าวไกลไม่สามารถนำมาซึ่งการเปลี่ยนแปลงได้ อ้างประชาธิปไตยและสิทธิมนุษยชน เพื่อแอบอิงตะวันตก [The 'Orange Party' is a lackey of Western imperialism; 'Aum Neko' asserts that the Move Forward Party cannot bring about change, claiming to champion democracy and human rights merely to align itself with the West.]. Line Today (in Thai). Archived from the original on 2025-04-23. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
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