“Has the court ruled yet?” “They will rule this time, won’t they?” Defence lawyers are repeatedly asked these questions by the defendants at every hearing at the Bangkok Military Court. “It will be a long time until the next witness hearing. And my brother remains in jail. My time should be put to better use, […]
The promulgation of the Royal Decree for the Election of MPs BE 2562 on 23 January 2019 should have set a positive tone for the state of rights and freedoms in Thailand. Instead, harassment and criminal prosecutions against people continues unabated. It has not happened to only politicians or MP candidates: ordinary people have to […]
It is only a few days until the long awaited election. In the final weeks leading up to the vote, however, many incidents that make this election controversial have continued, particularly the response from the army toward politicians and the decision of the Constitutional Court to disband the Thai Raksa Chart Party. The Thai Lawyers […]
Monitoring harassments against politicians after the lifting of the ban on political activities ahead of the election Despite the 11 December 2018 issuance of the Head of the NCPO Order no. 22/2561 to lift restrictions on political activities despite the promulgation of the Royal Decree on the election, anti-junta politicians continue to face harassment and […]
2018 marks the fifth year since the Thai military staged a coup in Thailand, installing the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) in government. During these five years, human rights violations have continued unabated. Restrictions of freedom of expression, holding individuals in custody in military barracks, prosecuting those exercising their rights and freedoms in […]
Since late 2016, in the aftermath of the passing of King Rama IX and the accession of King Rama X, prosecutions of lèse majesté cases or the violation of the Penal Code’s Section 112 spiked sharply. The “witch hunt” or vigilante actions taken against people who hold different views led to prosecution of dozens of […]
On 4 September 2018, the Bangkok Military Court has allowed Natthathida “Waen” Meewangpla, a former volunteer nurse and a star witness in the post-mortem inquest of six deaths in Wat Pathumwanara, to bail herself out. She has been accused in the Bangkok Criminal Court bomb attack and a lèse-majesté case (royal defamation). Natthathida has been […]
1. The challenge of academic freedom at the “Thai Studies Forum” After 10 postponements within one year of pre-trial inquiry appointments, on 4th July 2018, the public prosecutor in Chiang Mai formally indicted five accused: Dr. Chayan Wattanaputi, Ms. Pakawadee Weerapaspong, Mr. Nontawat Machai, Mr. Chaiyapong Samnieng, and Mr. Teeramon Bua-ngam in the Chiang […]
22 June 2018 — Thai society has been “wrecked” by the National Council for Peace and Order, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) has said in its newly released report on four years of military rule in Thailand. The report, which was launched on Friday at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, warns of the […]
