<p>The mother and sister of Siam Theerawut, who disappeared after fleeing to Vietnam, and the sister of Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who was reportedly abducted while living in Phnom Penh, have been told by the authorities that the status of investigations is a &lsquo;work in progress&rsquo;.</p>

<p>The ASEAN Human Rights Cartoon Exhibition, an online exhibition fearing 37 cartoonists from 5 countries and focusing on human rights in ASEAN, will be launched on 3 May.</p>

<p>The global pandemic has exposed the terrible legacy of deliberately divisive and destructive policies that have perpetuated inequality, discrimination and oppression and paved the way for the devastation wrought by COVID-19, Amnesty International said in its annual report published on Tueday (6 April).</p>

<p>The Thai government have always maintained that the measures they have taken against pro-democracy protests follow international procedures. Prachatai has talked to the UN Special Rapporteur to find out what these standards actually are.</p>

<p>On 22 December, the Criminal Court found Patnaree Chankij, the mother of pro-democracy activist Sirawith Seritiwat, not guilty of charges under the lèse majesté law and the Computer Crime Act after she responded in a chat with her son&rsquo;s friend with &lsquo;cha&rsquo; (yes).</p>

<p>Kornkanok Khumta, an activist from Women for Freedom and Democracy, made a bold move during her online speech at the ASEAN People&rsquo;s Forum 2020 (APF) opening ceremony by mentioning the disappearances of Thai refugees in Laos and Vietnam.</p>

<p>In conjunction the 36th ASEAN Summit, held virtually on 26 June, 45 civil society organizations issued a <a href="https://www.forum-asia.org/?p=32059#:~:text=26%20June%202020%2012%3A07,months%2C%20rights%20groups%20said%20today.">joint statement</a> condemning the increase in human rights violations by ASEAN member states during the Covid-19 pandemic, and also criticising the exclusion of civil society organisations from participating in the summit.</p>

<p>Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a Thai political activist in exile in Phnom Penh was allegedly kidnapped from in front of his condominium in the evening of 4 June.</p>

<p>Amnesty International released an open letter to the governments of&nbsp;Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam, calling for them to&nbsp;meet their responsibilities according to international standards and regional commitments and take immediate actions to protect the Rohingya people whose lives are at risk at sea.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Governments must dramatically overhaul policies and invest in public health, economic stimulus, and social safety nets, to help countries recover faster from the COVID-19 pandemic, says a new report from the UN Development Programme.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As Governments face the formidable challenge of protecting people from COVID-19, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called on them to ensure human rights are not violated under the guise of exceptional or emergency measures.</p>