#SaveMayu ✊🏽Defending Malay Identity Is Not a Crime

Today, 12 November 2025, our friend and ally Mayu Chena, together with eight fellow activists, faces the Pattani Provincial Court in the MELAYU RAYA case, accused of sedition and criminal association simply for celebrating Malay identity, culture, and pride.

🚨Their “crime”?

Organising the MELAYU RAYA 2022 cultural gathering at Wasukree Beach, Pattani, where over 20,000 young Malay Muslims came together in traditional attire, honouring their heritage and unity.

Instead of embracing this peaceful celebration of local culture, the Thai authorities responded with harassment, intimidation, and criminal charges under:

⚖️ Section 116 (Sedition) – up to 7 years in prison

⚖️ Sections 209–210 (Criminal Association) – up to 5 years in prison

⚖️ Emergency Decree – for alleged COVID-19 violations

Before the indictment, the activists were summoned and threatened by security agencies, warned to stop organising public discussions, peace workshops, or commemorations like Tak Bai Memorial Day and International Women’s Day, or face imprisonment, disappearance, or even death.

💬 The government claims these charges are about “national security.” But in truth, this case shows how the state criminalizes Malay identity and represses peaceful cultural and political expression in Thailand’s Deep South.

✊🏽 We stand in solidarity with Mayu and all nine defendants:

1️⃣ Mayu Chena

2️⃣ Muhammad Aladi Khengni

3️⃣ Anas Kuree

4️⃣ Sobri Sai

5️⃣ Salahuddin Kadam

6️⃣ Zulkifli Kame

7️⃣ Samri Talee

8️⃣ Mahmud Buesa

9️⃣ Hassan Yamadeebu

🌸🌺As Decolonial & Intersectional Feminists, we denounce all forms of transnational and state repression silencing communities for reclaiming their cultural roots and collective dignity.

🗣️We call on Thai authorities to drop all charges immediately and guarantee safe civic spaces for communities to express their cultural and political identities without fear or repression.

#SaveMayu #FreeAllDefenders #EndSLAPP #StopStateRepression #Patani #DeepSouthThailand #HumanRights #CulturalRights

#WeAreManushyan ♾️ Equal Human Beings

📸 Photo credit: Wartani