<p>Alleged separatist insurgents detonated a bomb in southern&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/thailand">Thailand</a>&nbsp;outside a school that killed a man and his daughter, Human Rights Watch said today. The deliberate attack on the school, a civilian structure, amounts to a war crime and denies children their right to education.</p>

<p>The Thai government and the Deep South insurgent groups have agreed on preconditions before moving ahead to the ‘official’ peace talks and a discussion over establishing safe zones in the restive region.</p> <p>Abu Hafez Al-Hakim, a delegate and key member of MARA Patani, an umbrella organization of the Deep South independent movements, announced on Friday, 2 September 2016, that the group and representatives of the Thai government to the Deep South peace negotiations in Malaysia had reached an agreement on the latest version of the Terms of Reference (ToR).</p>

<p>A Thai court has ordered the Prime Minister's Office to compensate the family of a Muslim teenager summarily killed by security forces in 2012. However, no security personnel have been prosecuted.</p> <p>The Administrative Court in the southern province of Songkhla on Wednesday, 2 August 2016, ordered the Prime Minister's Office to pay the Mama family 825,500 baht in compensation for the life of their late son, Furakon Mama, the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) reported.</p>

<div>Buku FC, a football club in the Deep South with the slogan “football for peace and equality,” has created a space for women and girls to exercise and express themselves. The team is made up of Muslim women, men, and LGBT individuals.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<div> <div>As a new round of peace talks between the Thai government and Deep South insurgents approaches, civil society women have demonstrated in support of the talks and to demand safe zones in public spaces.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Thursday, 1 September 2016, women — both Buddhists and Muslims — from 23 civil society organizations in the restive Deep South marched on the streets of Pattani to show their support for discussions on the Terms of Reference (ToR) between the Thai government and Mara Patani, an umbrella network representing insurgent groups in the Deep South. </div></div>

<p dir="ltr">While Thailand is making strides in anti-torture legislation, experts argue the government&rsquo;s continued prosecution of human rights defenders makes this formal progress hollow.</p><p>At a public panel convened at the Foreign Correspondents&rsquo; Club of Thailand on Wednesday, 24 August 2016, representatives from local and international organisations called upon the Thai government to drop charges levelled against three human rights defenders investigating torture in Deep Southern Thailand.</p>

<p>The recent August 8 statement by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihito">Emperor Akihito of Japan</a> stating the desire for an alternative to a decline in both duties and the wish for the activities of the Japanese monarchy to be sustained have been seen as indicating a wish to abdicate. As an expression of the human condition, the statement has parallels with the resignation of Pope Benedict XI in 2013 and with the birthday speech of his Majesty the King of December 4, 2005.</p>

<p>Separatist insurgents in&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.hrw.org/asia/thailand&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1472174002081000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFbEEEStrBVL5ZnelFIm-00oyUPRw" href="http://www.hrw.org/asia/thailand" target="_blank">Thailand</a>’s southern border provinces have committed an apparent series of bombings against civilians that may amount to crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said today.&nbsp;<br /></p>

<div>Experts have concluded that the bombings in Thai tourist spots that took place on the Queen’s Birthday were the work of southern insurgent group Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN). </div>

<p dir="ltr">The outspoken niece of a soldier who was brutally tortured to death in a military barrack has said that an army officer involved in the torture of her uncle has been promoted to a higher rank. The same army officer has accused the niece of offences under the Computer Crime Act.</p>

<div>A group of civil society in Thailand’s restive Deep South has issued a joint statement demanding a release of Muslim female author.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <h2 style="text-align: center;">Demanding transparent investigation, respect of human rights and immediate release: The arrest of women author and husband in the Southern Border Province</h2> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 15 August 2016, the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) was informed that on 14 August, Ms. </div></div>

<p>The resounding rejection of the junta-sponsored constitution by the Muslim majority in the restive Deep South reflects people’s attitudes towards the legitimacy of the military regime and disapproval of the draft charter. Experts point out both the regime and the charter are viewed as threats against the region’s unique ethno-religious identity.</p> <p></p>