<p>According to the recent media reports stating that National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) supports the amendment to Section 112 of the Penal Code, the NHRCT wishes to announce the inaccuracy of the said reports. The NHRCT sees that Section 112 serves to protect the prestige of the monarchy as Head of State in the same way as protection accorded to other Head of Foreign States as specified in section 133 of the Penal Code and the international principles of the State to protect its monarchy. Therefore, the previous media reports were false and inaccurate.</p>

<p>One of the least explored aspects of the lese-majeste law is censorship and self-censorship of anything that can be considered even mildly critical of the monarchy.</p>

<p><em>New Government Fails to Pursue Promised Reforms</em></p> <p>(New York, January 23, 2012) &ndash; The human rights situation in Thailand deteriorated in 2011 as the government failed to address impunity for human rights abuses by security forces, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2012. The government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, which took power after winning the general election in July, has largely failed to fulfill its pledges to make human rights a priority.</p>

<p>As he shuffled into the court room in central Thailand wearing leg chains that dragged across the wooden floor I saw the same warmth in the greeting that I had seen 30 years ago.&nbsp; This was Somyot Pruksakasemsuk who was the first Thai person I ever met &ndash; at that time he had been organising Thai factory workers near Bangkok and I was arriving for a meeting of workers from throughout the Asia region.</p>

<p>Nitirat&rsquo;s &lsquo;Nullification of the effects of the 2006 coup&rsquo; event, to be held this Sunday 22 January, has been moved from the Faculty of Law to the Sriburapha Auditorium at the Tha Prachan campus of Thammasat University, as the Faculty of Law was concerned that there would be a lot of people and the noise would disturb classes.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>

<p>Today I was tremendously affected by things that I saw, so much so that I was at a loss for words. First, in the morning, I saw the Facebook status of a former student of mine. My former student harshly condemned Professor Piyabutr Saengkanokkul and linked to a photo of him from Thai Post newspaper. When I scrolled down, the comments included only further condemnation, including calls to actually harm Professor Piyabutr.</p>

<p>Given the tremendous negative image and loss of reputation Thailand has engendered over the last five or six years arising from vigorous prosecution of lese majest&eacute; cases and cases under the Computer&nbsp; Crime Act, it seems behooving to the state and government to at least clean up the lese majest&eacute; act so as to resemble, in international public opinion and in conformance with international agreements Thailand has already signed, a more civilized process.</p>

<p>An open letter from the Malaysian Support Group for Democracy in Thailand on behalf of Mr. Somyot Pruksakasemsuk to those concerned with freedom of expression and political prisoners in Thailand.</p>

<p>Although the Nitirat group uses the word &lsquo;amendments&rsquo; to Article 112, its <a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2997">proposals</a>, when looked in detail, are tantamount to abolition and a significant restructuring of the Criminal Code regarding national security, said Khamnoon Sitthisaman, ASTV Manager columnist, non-elected senator and Sondhi Limthongkul&rsquo;s aide, in his <a href="http://www.manager.co.th/Daily/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9550000006030">column</a> on 14 Jan.</p>

<p>Matichon published its <a href="http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1325655010&amp;grpid=06&amp;catid=02">interview of Dr. Somkit Lertpaithoon</a> on 4 January 2012. Dr. Somkit Lertpaithoon is the rector of Thammasat University who also teaches public law.&nbsp; The entire interview covered several issues, mainly Kanthoop, lèse majesté law (Article 112), and the proposed constitution amendment.</p>

<p class="rteleft">It is recognized that human beings, regardless of origin or status, should have human dignity, liberty, and equality, and show reasonableness and tolerance toward differing opinions, and that in a democratic society, the right to freedom of expression is indispensable and any restriction of this freedom must be in proportion to necessity and not of a form that conflicts with the essence of this freedom.</p>

<p>Considering its public statements, it seems that the Nitirat group has called for amendments to Article 112 of the Criminal Code in order that those who &lsquo;criticize the monarchy in good faith&rsquo; are exempted from or given lighter punishments, but this is not all that what they want, said <a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2957">Pol Gen Vasit Dejkunjorn</a> in his Matichon column published on 10 Jan.</p>