The first week of 2020 doesn’t mark as a good beginning of the new year solely as the human rights violation still looms in various areas across Thailand. With the nation’s biggest assembly’s “Run Against Dictatorship” to be staged for the first time after the 2014 Coup d’etat on 12 Jan, profound cases of intimidation and […]
2019 marks a year of change, but not transcendence in Thailand. The National Council for Peace (NCPO) is now defunct, after more than five years and one month since the military coup. The general election was followed by the return of the same old Prime Minister, the same face and the same name, plus the […]
This September marks the first anniversary of the reports on the crackdown of individuals allegedly involved with the “Organization For a Thai Federation.” Arrests of those wearing black T-shirts with red and white stripes initially had people wondering about the cryptic meaning of the symbol. Members of the public and even avid political followers had […]
The Royal Pardon Decree 2019 issued to mark the King’s Coronation in May has led to the pardon or reduction of prison terms of certain convicted prisoners, including those convicted on politically motivated charges such as the five core members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who had been imprisoned for unlawful occupation of […]
On 27 August 2019, Ms Sirikan Charoensiri, known as Lawyer June, went to meet the inquiry officer who was responsible for her case at Chanasongkram Police Station, Bangkok, to hear the Attorney General’s order on the case against her in which she was charged with an offence of refusing to comply with an official order […]
The return of Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha as Prime Minister after the elections continues to be shrouded with questions concerning freedom and justice. Such questions remain after he was voted in by the Parliament on 6 June 2019 and even after the cessation of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) given the new cabinet […]
What has happened in the past five years? On 22 May 2014, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), led by Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, seized power from the Yingluck Shinawatra government, revoked the 2007 Constitution, imposed martial law and arbitrarily issued a string of announcements and orders to rule the country as it deemed […]
Although the coronation ceremony of King Rama X from 4 to 6 May 2019 and the royal celebration from 22 to 28 May 2019 took place “peacefully”, violations of personal freedom through constant monitoring and intimidation by state authorities occurred in secret throughout the course of the events. They gained little media coverage. In the […]
On the evening of 2 June 2019, Sirawith Seritiwat aka “Ja New” was attacked by five or six men at the bus stop on Ratchadapisek 7 in Bangkok. The ambush took place just three days before the Parliament was set to vote to elect Thailand’s 30th Prime Minister and the day Ja New announced he […]
Universities should offer spaces to nurture the exercise of freedom of expression In the aftermath of Thailand’s national election on 24 March 2019, students and the general public have raised questions and expressed their skepticism regarding the performance of the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT). Throughout the election process – from the tabulation of the […]
Ekachai Hongkangwan is a freelance writer and political activist. His activism has become prominent in the aftermath of the 2014 coup, around 2016. He has been campaigning on different issues: demanding an investigation on the failure to report assets (including 25 luxurious wristwatches) by Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, aka ‘The Rolex General’: searching for a plaque […]
“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, […]
