News
Sep 29, 2023
A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to one year and four months on a royal defamation charge for sharing a Facebook post criticising King Vajiralongkorn's clothes in 2020.
Sep 29, 2023
A civil society network proposing a new marriage equality bill, a gender recognition bill, and a bill repealing the 1996 Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act is poised to launch a campaign to collect signatures to introduce the bills into parliament.
Sep 29, 2023
A civil society network is preparing to propose a gender recognition bill which would allow trans people to change the gender markers in their official documents to match their identities. It would also permit non-binary people to use gender-neutral markers and allow intersex people to employ gender neutral markers until they decide their gender orientation.
Highlight
12 Apr 2023
A series of photographs and essay by Real Frame photographer Yostorn Triyos explores life in communities on the banks of the Salween River after the Covid-19 pandemic and the February 2021 Myanmar coup, such as Sop Moei and Mae Sam Laep where people continues to live in uncertainty amidst the war. Meanwhile, the Thai and Myanmar government's project to build 6 dams across the Salween River has been put on hold due to the pandemic and the war.
11 Mar 2023
Following the February 2021 coup in Myanmar and subsequent violence against protesters, a large number of people from Myanmar came to Thailand seeking safety and are now living as refugees in urban areas. Some came with valid visas, while some are undocumented, but all are unrecognised as refugees and unprotected under Thai law.
11 Mar 2023
During the pandemic, Thai musicians and workers in the music industry faced unemployment as bars and entertainment venues were ordered to close. Many had to sell their instruments to keep themselves afloat, or make a living doing whatever else they could, while some left the industry altogether.
In "Unplugged: Music in Crisis," Thai musicians talk about their lives during and after the pandemic, and the future of creative economy in Thailand.
Feature
Sep 6, 2023
All sorts of sexual fantasies have found a home at Krubb, a sauna catering to the specific needs of gay men in Bangkok. It is discreetly located just a few minutes walk from the Phra Kanong BTS station. Inside, on the walls of a dimly lit corridor behind a rusted door, hang photographs of men expressing various forms of kinks – Shibari, dog costumes, and more...
Jul 10, 2023
At 14, Thanalop Phalanchai became one of the youngest people ever charged with royal defamation. At 15, she was arrested and held in pre-trial detention, making her the youngest person to ever be detained on a royal defamation charge. Her arrest and detention raised questions about the Thai juvenile justice system and whether it is serving the best interests of the country’s children.
Jun 16, 2023
During the height of the pandemic, Thailand saw a growing number of reports of university students committing suicide, while others suffer from stress and mental health problems due to sudden changes in their lives as the country went into lockdown. Although mental health issues were on campus before Covid-19 arrived, the pandemic made the problems more visible. Now, students are calling for universities to adopt proactive mental health support measures, but with the shortage of mental health professionals, implementing a long-term solution may not be easy.
Round Up
Dec 17, 2022
A monarchy supporter with a large online following was arrested on Saturday, hours after he claimed to have raised nearly 700,000 baht to cover the cost of what he described as a ritual to extend the life of King Vajiralongkorn’s eldest child.
Nov 17, 2022
Thailand is currently hosting the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, taking place between 14 – 19 November at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), with the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on 18-19 November. Meanwhile, activist groups and civil society organizations are planning series of protests over the week against what they see as an attempt by the government to boost its legitimacy and greenwash the country’s major polluters.
Oct 15, 2022
A week has passed since the Northeastern massacre that left 37 dead. In the wake of the heartbreaking carnage, authorities and the media have begun to reflect on past errors and look for a way forward.
Interview
Jun 28, 2023
Having spent a decade of her life promoting gender diversity. Natakamon “Priest” Siwasilp, an intersex person and a co-founder of Intersex Thailand, discovered that being intersex is a natural variation of being human. Now, she uses her voice to expand awareness about intersex people, striving for a future where intersex people are wholeheartedly accepted and granted the rights to live the lives they truly desire.
Nov 24, 2022
On the same day various leaders from Asia-Pacific nations mingled at a shiny convention center in Bangkok, photographer Chalinee Thirasupa was among a huddle of journalists taking photos of a phalanx of riot police close to Democracy Monument. A glass bottle was suddenly hurled toward her face.
Nov 16, 2022
The Thai office of Amnesty International over the past few months has increasingly turned to tackle more domestic human rights issues. An interview with the Country Director reveals that this decision has had a great impact, even threatening the organization’s existence, and including death threats against Amnesty personnel.
Opinion
Sep 11, 2023
After the May 2023 general election, the eight-party coalition led by the Move Forward Party signed an MOU to form a democratic government, but the document was revoked when Pheu Thai left the coalition along with the Prachachat Party, an influential party in the Deep South, to form a coalition with parties under strong military influence. Hara Shintaro writes on the impact of revoking the MOU on the peace process in the Deep South and the possibility of rebuilding trust in the process under the current political situation.
Sep 1, 2023
With the breaking of the 8-party coalition under the Move Forward Party and the formation of a new government headed by Pheu Thai, questions have been raised about how the peace process will progress in Thailand's Deep South. Hara Shintaro writes about the prospects of peace in the Deep South under the new government.
Jun 19, 2023
The Move Forward party emerges top of the poll in the 2023 general election with 151 seats. Although the breakthrough marks the beginning of a rocky transition to democratic politics after nearly a decade of militarized rule, Dulyaphab Chaturongkul asks if it will have to make compromises in the coming months and whether that should decide the fate of the democratic coalition.
Multimedia
Sep 18, 2023
11 people are now detained on a royal defamation charge in Thailand. Of this number, 3 are detained following a final verdict or after a decision not to appeal, while 8 are detained pending trial or appeal.
Pick to Post
Sep 29, 2023
Following the acquittal of four park officials charged for the abduction and murder of indigenous rights activist Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) issue a statement calling on the Thai authorities to ensure that there is continuous effective investigation to determine definitively the fate of Billy and deliver justice to his family.
Sep 27, 2023
Ahead of tomorrow (28 September)'s verdict for four national park officials charged for the enforced disappearance and murder of indigenous rights activist Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen, Amnesty International Thailand calls on the Thai authorities to hold to account those responsible for Porlajee's murder.
Sep 5, 2023
Four human rights organizations have published an open letter to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, highlighting 10 key human rights priorities remaining unaddressed under previous administrations, from space for civil society and accountability for extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances to gender equality, and urged the new government to begin the implementation of their recommendations within the first 100 days in office.
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