<p dir="ltr">The Thai military has threatened a prominent anti-junta activist from the New Democracy Movement (NDM) with the lèse majesté law over a Facebook post.</p> <p dir="ltr">On 8 December 2016, Chanoknan Ruamsap, a key member of NDM, posted a message on her Facebook account explaining that the military contacted her family while she was in Brazil. &nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), and Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), acting as international observers of the Bersih 5 rallies and related events, are calling on the Malaysian authorities to drop all charges against the Bersih organizers and activists. The authorities should return all items confiscated from the Bersih offices and stop making further arbitrary arrests in connection with these events.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Insults vs. Hate Crime, who will win this game of attention?</p>

<p dir="ltr"><em><strong>Updated</strong>: According to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), the Military Court of Bangkok on 16 November 2016 has denied the bail request for Bundit Aneeya. He will be detained in Bangkok Remand Prison for the first custody period from 16-29 November 2016 with the possibility of the custody permission being renewed. </em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Updated2: on 17 November, Bangkok Military Court granted bail for Bundit with 400,000 baht in cash as surety. &nbsp;</em></p>

<p>The Royal Thai Police have announced that they are now working on 194 lèse majesté cases.</p> <p>On 9 November 2016, Pol Maj Gen Songphon Wattanachai, Deputy Spokesperson of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), announced that the police have documented 194 alleged violations of Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.</p> <p>The officer added that 10 persons have already been arrested while the authorities are now trying to arrest 17 more.</p>

<p>The Supreme Court has sentenced a pro-democracy lecturer from Thammasat University to one month imprisonment for contempt of court.</p> <p>On 8 November 2016, the Civil Court on Ratchadapisek Rd., Bangkok, read the verdict of the Supreme Court, sentencing Sudsa-nguan Sutheesorn, a lecturer at the Social Administration Faculty of Thammasat University, to one month imprisonment without suspension of the jail term. The Supreme Court confirmed the verdict of the Court of First Instance.</p>

<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>

<p dir="ltr">Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a long-time labour activist turned lèse majesté suspect, will be the first non-Korean activist to be awarded a prestigious prize by Korean trade unions.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has announced it will award Somyot Prueksakasemsuk with the Jeon Tae-il Labour Prize to recognise his dedication to labour rights, <a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1128777/somyot-wins-prestigious-korean-trade-union-award">the Bangkok Post reported</a>.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A Criminal Court has dismissed a charge against a well-known Pheu Thai Party politician indicted under the Computer Crime Act for mocking a deputy junta head.</p>

<p>The Military Junta should be careful how it reacts to the passing of King Bhumibol. Emotions are high right now in Thailand which the military will no doubt aim to exploit to consolidate its political power over the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em><strong>Update</strong>:&nbsp;Thai junta rejects involvement in Joshua Wong’s detention. Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, said the government has no involvement with the detention against Wong but it is actually the judgement of immigration officials, reported BBC Thai.</em></p> <p>The Thai authorities have detained Joshua Wong, a leading student activist from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, at the request of the Chinese government.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The junta has refuted condemnations from many human rights groups for obstructing an Amnesty International (AI) progress briefing about torture, saying that it did not prevent the briefing. The junta added that information from Amnesty International (AI) is not credible.</p>