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Reporters Without Borders The trial of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the editor of the Prachatai news website, resumed before a Bangkok court on 14 February after a long interruption, with testimony being heard on 14, 15 and 16 February from five defence witnesses. At the end of yesterday’s hearing, the court announced that it would...
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Frank G Anderson On 17 February 2012, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapa offered two observations, both ill-founded, unfounded and confounded. Despite an international body stating Thailand was a great place to launder money, the general says “Ain’t so!” As well, despite Sukumvit Soi 71 being littered with bomb debris and shadows...
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Human Rights Watch Detentions, Re-education on a Scale not Seen Since Late 1970s (New York, February 16, 2012) – The Chinese government should immediately release Tibetans who have been detained by local police and are being forced to undergo political re-education after travelling to India to listen to religious teachings there, Human Rights...
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On 13 Feb, the court hearing in Somyot Prueksakasemsuk’s case in Songkhla had to be cancelled as the fourth and last prosecution witness, who lives in Pathum Thani, near Bangkok, did not show up in court. According to Somyot’s lawyer Suwit Thongnual, the provincial public prosecutor made contact with the witness and was...
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Freedom House Washington - February 10, 2012 - Freedom House is deeply concerned about the detention by Malaysian authorities of Saudi writer Hamza Kashgari, who fled Saudi Arabia to escape death threats for allegedly insulting the prophet Mohammad on Twitter. The 23-year-old Kashgari is at imminent risk of extradition to Saudi Arabia, where...
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International human rights group have jointly sent an open letter to Thailand's Prime Minister and authorities, regarding the trials of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk and Chiranuch Premchaiporn which will resume next week. 000 H.E. Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Office of the Prime Minister Government House Thanon Phitsanulok, Dusit Bangkok 10300...
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Free Thammasat Group for Democracy Kan Thoop will report to police on l?se majest? charges on Saturday 11 Feb, after having postponed twice since late last year due to the floods and university exams. The 19-year-old first year Thammasat student was accused of l?se majest? for comments she posted on Facebook in March...
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Suluck Lamubol Interview with the two academics who head signature supports from 224 international scholars to back article 112 reform campaign, amidst the nationwide uproar On Wednesday, 224 international scholars from 16 countries, including Noam Chomsky, Cornell West, Chris Baker and Craig Reynolds, have backed the call of the Campaign Committee to Amend...
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Kaewmala, Asian Correspondent Yesterday someone posted an audio file on YouTube. The clip is cut from a call-in radio talk show called “Kid Dai Kid Dee” (English title: Talk News and Music) hosted by Mr. Veera Theeraphat. The caller asked the host about Nitirat (the group that’s been calling for amendment...
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A group of Thammasat lecturers and alumni led by former Rector Charnvit Kasetsiri has sent an open letter to the University’s Rector and administrators to protest their decision to ban Nitirat’s activities and suggest that the University itself should play host to public debates on the issue. Somkid Lertpaitoon, Rector of Thammasat University,...
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The Isaan Record KHON KAEN – The Campaign Committee to Amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code (CCAA 112), the first aggressive, nationwide campaign to reform the world’s harshest l?se-majest? law, made its way to Khon Kaen this past Sunday with a panel discussion and petition-signing held at Khon Kaen University (KKU). Over...
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Human Rights Watch Palparan’s Prosecution Key to Ending Impunity (New York, February 1, 2012) – Philippine President Benigno Aquino III should order the armed forces to cooperate with civilian authorities in arresting retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan and others charged with the enforced disappearance of two activists in 2006, Human Rights Watch said...
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Fringe Philosopher It is true that the majority of Thai people love the monarchy. But there may be some sectors that do not love the monarchy. This is understandable and not out of the ordinary. We should be able to accept the divergent feelings of people in society.
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Brian Knight Forever to blame the bearer of bad news as the bad news itself, those who don’t like to hear the truth, or at least a great speech about it and why it’s occasionally necessary to be told the truth, often resort to little tricks to as quickly as possible extinguish growing...
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Nitirat’s ‘Nullification of the effects of the 2006 coup’ event, to be held this Sunday 22 January, has been moved from the Faculty of Law to the Sriburapha Auditorium at the Tha Prachan campus of Thammasat University, as the Faculty of Law was concerned that there would be a lot of people and...
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Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders notes the progress announced by the authorities in the investigation into the murder of Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwittayaporn, a freelance journalist and member of the “Red Shirts” political movement shot dead by two men on a motorcycle in Phuket on 12 January. “The information in possession of...
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Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation A new group of royalist academics from eight universities issued a manifesto yesterday attacking those who want to amend or abolish the lese majeste law and vowing to fight what they called the monopoly of Thai politics by a "capitalist political party". The group, calling themselves Siam Prachapiwat, or...
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Amnesty International The Cambodian authorities must immediately release 24 women and six children detained yesterday while peacefully protesting their forced eviction. The group of 30 were arrested while protesting last week’s violent forced eviction of some 300 families from the poor Borei Keila neighbourhood of Phnom Penh.? “These people never should have been...
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Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders is repeating its awareness campaign in central Paris to draw residents’ attention to the lack of freedom of information in Thailand, Vietnam and Mexico by creating a simulated beach in the city’s main shopping area. On the first day of the January sales, activists from the press...
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The International Federation for Human Rights, Ligue des droits de l'Homme - France, Altsean-Burma and Info-Birmanie have jointly sent an open letter to Alain Jupp?, Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, before his upcoming visit to Burma. 000 Paris, Bangkok, January 10, 2012 Re: Justice and accountability and democratic reform in Burma Dear...
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ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus JAKARTA - The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus today welcomed Cambodia?s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but made clear it wanted to see increased focus and improvement in the protection of human rights and the strengthening of democratic institutions in Myanmar and across the region. Chairing...
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Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders has this year, for the first time, compiled a list of the world’s 10 most dangerous places for the media – the 10 cities, districts, squares, provinces or regions where journalists and netizens were particularly exposed to violence and where freedom of information was flouted. 2011 in...
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ANFREL The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL-Foundation) welcomes recent political developments in Burma, progress which includes less censorship of the media; more engagement with the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi, and some ethnic groups; the release of some, though not all, political prisoners; and finally, the re-registration of the NLD as a...
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Asian Human Human Rights Commission (Hong Kong, December 9, 2011) A "deep-seated, ingrained culture of impunity that spans the state security forces, judiciary and civil service" is continuing to block the emergence of a human rights-respecting culture in Thailand, the Asian Human Rights Commission said today in its annual State of Human Rights...
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Human Rights Watch Nobel Laureate Remains Jailed Despite Global Condemnation (New York, December 9, 2011) – The Chinese government’s increasing intransigence on high-profile human rights cases requires governments to make progress on such cases a benchmark for closer relations and high-level visits, Human Rights Watch said. Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo...
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Front Line Human rights defenders Ms Jittra Kotchadej , Ms Boonrod Paiwong, and Mr Soonthorn Boonyord are due to appear in a pre-trial hearing on 23 December 2011 to decide on the dates of their trial. The human rights defenders are officially charged under Section 215 and 216 of the Criminal Code for...
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Mekong Migration Network On the 7th of December 2011, the Mekong Migration Network (MMN) launched two new publications, Speaking of Migration: Mekong Vocabulary on Migration and Legally Binding: A Summary of Labour Laws in the Greater Mekong Subregion at the Cambodiana Hotel in Phnom Penh. The guests included the Guest of Honour, Her...
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Human Rights Watch 20-Year Prison Sentence for Four Text Messages (New York, December 3, 2011) – A Thai court’s sentencing of a 61-year-old man to 20 years in prison for sending four text messages illustrates the misuse by successive Thai governments of laws intended to protect the monarchy, Human Rights Watch said today....
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On 1 Dec, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology inaugurated the Cyber Security Operation Centre (CSOC) to suppress cyber crimes, including in particular offences against the monarchy. The Centre is situated in Building 9 of TOT Plc on Chaeng Watthana Rd.? The inauguration was attended by representatives from all the armed forces,...
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Front Line On 29 November 2011, the lower house of the Malaysian Parliament approved a Peaceful Assembly Bill. This Bill will severely effect the right of human rights defenders (HRDs) to exercise peaceful assembly to campaign for human rights. The Bill will be reviewed by the Senate on 7 December 2011. HRDs in...
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