<p dir="ltr">The Court of Appeal has handed a nine month suspended jail term to the Facebook admin of a page campaigning for energy reform. He was accused of defaming a board member of a Thai petroleum giant. &nbsp;</p>

<div dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr">The Thai Supreme Court has dismissed a criminal defamation charge against a well-known British labour rights advocate, who was sued by a Thai canned fruit company for voicing labour abuse.</p> <p dir="ltr">On 4 November 2016, the Supreme Court dismissed a criminal defamation case against Andy Hall, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBCThai/photos/a.1527194487501586.1073741828.1526071940947174/1842534709300894/?type=3&amp;theater">BBC Thai reported</a>.</p> </div>

<h2>Thailand: Drop Criminal Complaint Against Thai PBS</h2> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Government should protect press freedoms, decriminalize defamation laws</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" src="https://i.vimeocdn.com/portrait/8001105_640x640" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>(Bangkok, October 3, 2016)—Thai gold-mining company Tungkum </div>

<p>The finding guilty of human rights activist Andy Hall for defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act was lauded by the plaintiff, the president of Natural Fruit. After hearing the verdict, the president stated to the press that "No foreigner should think they have power above Thai sovereignty". Because Natural Fruit’s president has invoked Thai values, it is worthwhile examining the case through official normative Thai values, the Twelve Core Values of Thai People.</p>

<p>The ICJ expresses it disappointment with today’s verdict criminalizing the work of human rights defender, Andy Hall, and calls upon Thailand to decriminalise defamation and amend the Computer Crime Act in line with international standards protecting freedom of expression.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A Thai court has handed a three year suspended jail term to Andy Hall, a well-known British migrant labour rights defender, for defaming a canned fruit company.</p> <p dir="ltr">On 20 September 2016, Bangkok’s Southern Criminal Court read a verdict on the case between Natural Fruit Co. Ltd., a Thai canned fruit company based in southern Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, and Andy Hall, a well-known human rights defender who advocates for migrant worker rights.</p>

<p>A Bangkok criminal court is expected to hand down a verdict on September 20, 2016, in the case of a British researcher for his work on labor rights abuses in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/thailand" target="_blank">Thailand</a>, Human Rights Watch said today. Andy Hall faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of criminal sedition and violating the Computer Crimes Act.</p>

<p>The Thai police have arrested the niece of a soldier who was tortured to death in the Deep South of Thailand after the authorities accused her of defaming the military. &nbsp;</p> <p>Three police officers from Makkasan Police Station, Bangkok, on Tuesday morning, 26 July 2016, arrested Naritsarawan Kaewnopparat, the niece of <a href="http://prachatai.org/english/node/5524">Wichian Puaksom</a>, a military conscript who was tortured to death by other soldiers in 2011.</p> <p>She was arrested at her workplace in Bangkok and is currently in custody at Makkasan Police Station.</p>

<p>The Thai military have defended their decision to file legal complaints against human rights advocates in the restive Deep South, saying that they have to defend the honour of the country, while the embattled rights activists refuse to be cowed.</p>

<div> <div>Human Rights Watch has condemned the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) for filing a complaint against three human rights defenders in the Deep South for exposing torture by the military of Muslim Malay minority members. </div></div>

<p>A Thai police officer has filed an additional criminal defamation charge against an embattled defence lawyer.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A pop music event organizer apologized for lampooning the controversial Buddhist sect Dhammakaya at a party Saturday night following threats of legal action by the group. &nbsp;</p> <p>Even as its headquarters were under siege by law enforcement officers, and its leader wanted on embezzlement charges, the Dhammakaya sect said it was preparing a defamation suit against party organizer Trasher for blasphemy.</p>