<div> <div>The police and military have created the climate of fear among HIV activists, making them decide to stop giving assistance to the HIV-positive in provincial hospitals. This intimidation came after activists signed a petition in support of the civil rights march.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 25 January 2018, the police and soldiers visited members of the Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Sisaket and Surin provinces. </div></div>

<p dir="ltr">While taking credit internationally for the country’s healthcare scheme, the Thai junta has begun the process of amending the law which could put at risk the health of millions of Thais who rely on public health coverage.</p> <p></p>

<p>Civil society groups oppose the junta’s plan to use the regime’s absolute power to speed up the process of registering pharmaceutical patents, warning the plan could cost billions of baht in increased drug costs.</p> <p>On 1 March 2017, FTA Watch, a civil society group monitoring trade policies, and AIDs Access Foundation (AAF) submitted a letter to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, urging him not to use Section 44 of the Interim Constitution to bypass normal regulations in registering pharmaceutical patents.</p>

<p>Thailand’s think tanks for consumer rights and sustainable agriculture are urging people to boycott a giant convenient store chain and to call on the junta to revise business laws against market monopolisation.</p>

<p>9 April 2013: 9.00 AM, around 100 Thai civil society from FTA Watch and people networks gathered in front of the Office of the Delegation of the European Union to Thailand on Wireless Road, Bangkok, urging the EU not to breach its commitments to improving public health in developing countries and to respect its own Parliament’s resolution to protect public health and access to medicines over excessive Intellectual Properties rules.<br /></p>

<p>At the focus of the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem9) summit in Laos is the trade and investment relations. On 4 November, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra informed Mr José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission that Thailand was ready to continue its FTA negotiations with the EU since Thailand has already removed its internal obstacles and could start the negotiations at the beginning of next year.</p>