<p>A civil society organisation has urged police to step up measures to investigate the disappearance of a Karen human rights defender, pointing out that the case is being neglected.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/crcfpage">Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF)</a>, a civil society organisation which promotes and monitors human rights in Thailand, on Wednesday submitted a letter to Police Region 7 in order to urge the police to step up efforts in investigating the disappearance of Pollachi Rakchongcharoen, aka Billy, a Karen human rights activist who disappeared on 17 April 2014.</p>
<div>Lawyers and human rights activists condemn the military for its recent interruption and harassment a lawyer and her clients, saying the junta must respect the right to justice of the citizen. </div>
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<div>On 11 November, military and police officers interrupted a private meeting between\ Sor Rattanamanee Polkaw, the lawyer from the Community Resources Centre (CRC) and her clients in northeastern Udon Thani Province, while they were discussing a case related to the environmental impact of a Xayaburi and Don Sahong dam.
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<div>Despite the junta’s rhetoric about initiating a national reform debate for a ‘functioning democracy’, the junta’s interference in a Thai PBS programme which allowed people to voice opinions on reform ironically shows how the junta is doing the opposite, according to civil society groups. </div>
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<div>According to Isara News Agency, executives of Thailand’s Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) obeyed the junta by removing Nattaya Wawweerakhup from the programme “Voices of the People that must be heard before the Reform” after the military pressured the TV channel
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>A Statement from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)</strong></div>
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<div>The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) in collaboration with Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) and Amnesty International Thailand was planning to organize a presentation of report on the situation of human rights “Access to Justice in Thailand: Currently Unavailable Human Rights Situation 100 Days after the Coup” today.
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By Asian Human Rights Commission |
<div style="text-align: right;">August 26, 2014</div>
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<div>On 24 August 2014, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, a long-time human rights defender and director of the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF), received a warrant summoning her to report to the Yala police station by 25 August 2014. She has postponed her reporting to the Yala police station until later in September. The warrant was in relation to an investigation carried out pursuant to a legal complaint of libel and defamation filed against her by Army Task Force 41.
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