<div>GENEVA (1 April 2015) – United Nations expert on freedom of expression David Kaye today urged the Government of Thailand to unequivocally distance itself from the Thai’s leader intimidating statements against freedom of the press, and take immediate measures to allow space for debate and freedom of expression.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the leader of the coup that deposed the elected government of Thailand and assumed powers as Prime Minister in 2014, has said recently that journalists who criticize him or ‘causes divisions’ could be subjected to execution, and </div>

<p>(New York, April 1, 2015) – Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha is seeking to invoke a constitutional provision that would give him unlimited powers without safeguards against human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today.&nbsp;<br /></p>

<div><strong>Ambassador Calvert meeting with&nbsp;</strong></div> <div><strong>Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>BANGKOK - Embassy of Canada press release following bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>H.E. Philip Calvert, Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of Thailand, met today (31 March 2015) with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to review key elements of the bilateral relationship, encompassing commercial, political, security and people-to-people ties. </div>

<p>The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union of Journalists, Thailand (NUJT) deplores the comments made by Thai military junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha against journalists on Wednesday, March 25. The IFJ and NUJT condemn the comments as a threat to press freedom in Thailand, noting that the comments illustrate the continued decline of press freedom in Thailand over the past 12 months.<br /><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><a href="http://www.khaosodenglish.com/">Khaosod English</a>: Thailand's military leader has asked the media not to report on human trafficking without considering how the news will affect the country's seafood industry and reputation abroad.</p>

<p>The protracted political crisis that has rocked Thailand for the past decade is the result of "too much democracy," said Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the retired army chief who seized power from an elected government in a military coup last May, at the Convention for the Federation of Thai Industries in Bangkok on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>(New York, March 18, 2015) – The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hrw.org/thailand" target="_blank">Thai</a>&nbsp;military’s warrantless arrest and secret detention of a witness to alleged army crimes raise grave concerns of a politically motivated prosecution, Human Rights Watch said today. Holding the suspect incommunicado for six days heightened the risk of torture and other ill treatment.<br /></p>

<p><span>(New York, March 12, 2015) –&nbsp;</span><a href="http://hrw.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d8%2c57%3a9-%3eLCE593719%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=4369775&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=73763&amp;Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">Japan</a><span>’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should press&nbsp;</span><a> </a></p>

<p>On Thailand’s Children’s Day in January, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Thai junta leader, said in a TV program that ‘knowledge and morality will lead us to the future’. Using the concept of morality as guidance, the junta is striving to make Buddhism a state religion and convincing children to follow the moral guidance of the King and love the nation, religion, and monarchy. The junta is looking to apply its definitions of morality to holders of political posts and civil servants. The junta’s Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) has now laid out plans to create a ‘National Virtue Assembly’, a supra-governmental body which could determine the moral or ethical standards of public officials.</p> <p></p>

<p>On 23 February 2015 student activists&nbsp;Patiwat Saraiyaem, 23, and Pornthip Munkong (f), 26, were each sentenced to two and a half years in prison for&nbsp;violating Thailand’s “lèse-majesté” law. The charge of&nbsp;“lèse-majesté” criminalises alleged insult of the monarchy&nbsp;under&nbsp;Article 112 of the Criminal Code, and is commonly used to silence peaceful dissent.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/16361048977_d010a2c223.jpg" /></p> <p><em><span>Panitan Watanayagorn is currently adviser to General Prawit Wongsuwan, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister.</span></em></p>

<p>(New York, February 13, 2015) –&nbsp;<a href="http://hrw.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d8%2c50%404-%3eLCE593719%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=4432086&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=72545&amp;Action=Follow+Link">Thailand</a>’s lawmakers should reject a proposed revision to the Military Court Act that would broadly empower the armed forces to detain civilians without charge for nearly three months, Human Rights Watch said today.<br /></p>