<p>UN Human Rights High Commissioner has urged the Thai junta to respect freedom of expression to ensure open discussion during the drafting of constitution.&nbsp;</p> <p>Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Thursday pointed out his concerns on the imposition of the martial law, which has given to the military the power to crack down on political dissent and opposition.</p>

<p>Despite the junta’s crackdowns on political dissent and the imposition of the martial law, the Thai Foreign Minister said at a UN human rights meeting that Thailand has given much importance to human rights in its attempt to maintain national security.</p> <p>Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, who represented Thailand at the 28th United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on 4 March 2015, said before the meeting that Thailand paid attention to human rights, which apply to everyone equally. &nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4add403e-c508-eba1-b50f-ac180db41f42">A people’s forum on reform pointed out that the junta uses martial law to silence people while plundering natural resources in communities nationwide against the will of the local people. &nbsp;</span></p>

<p>You see, we need martial law so that we can enjoy the calm and order that has been achieved since the coup. &nbsp;(Well, as long as we ignore the south, but then everybody always ignores the south.)&nbsp; If we didn’t have martial law, who knows what mayhem and anarchy would result.</p> <p>And when the odd bit of mayhem and anarchy does occur, then we need martial law to put an end to the very thing that martial law was supposed to prevent.</p>

<p>Amid tension with villagers, the Thai military continues to help oil company transport equipment into a potential oilfield in the northeast, despite an NHRC order to halt the process.</p> <p>Despite a recent order by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for the company to halt operations due to the project’s controversial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), military officers and district officials have helped the company to occupy major roads leading to the oil field to secure the convoy’s access to the area since Saturday.</p>

<p>The military has helped a petroleum company bypass proper environmental impact assessment procedures and an NHRC order to halt petroleum exploration and threatened villagers opposing the exploration with martial law.</p> <p>About 40 armed police and military officers on Friday morning assisted&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amchamthailand.com/ACCT/asp/corpdetail.asp?CorpID=1029">Apico (Korat) Limited</a>, a US-based oil and gas exploration company, to move oil-drilling equipment into a potential oil field called Dongmoon in Kranuan District of the northeastern province of Khon Kaen.</p>

<div>7 February 2015 -- Thai authorities must immediately cancel plans to grant the military enhanced powers to detain civilians for several months without charge or trial, Amnesty International said today.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The National Legislative Assembly, a body appointed by the military which seized power in a coup in May 2014, will later this month consider an amendment to the Statute of the Military Court Act, which would grant military commanders powers to detain civilians for up to 84 days.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“It is deeply worrying that the Thai military authorities a </div>

<div> <div>A group of anti-coup activists produced a music video mocking the junta. It said it is aiming at breaking fear created by the military regime. Resistant Citizen, a group composed of activists, academics, human rights workers and lawyers, on Thursday released a music video which makes fun of the military power and the unpromising general election.&nbsp;</div> </div>

<div>The military banned a human rights lawyer from meeting a red-shirt suspect accused of publicising the fake Royal Household statement about King Bhumibol, citing martial law.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The statement, falsely claimed to be from the Bureau of the Royal Household, was distributed on Monday night. </div>

<p>The selective NCPO ban on demonstrations, rallies, and any other form of public assembly is beginning to cause concern following recent disturbances of just the kind that martial law was supposed to prevent.</p>

<div><strong>Martial Law and the Military Court: Civil and Political Rights in Thailand (22 May 2014-15 January 2015)</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 2nd Febuary 2015, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) launched a new report, "Martial Law and the Military Court: Civil and Political Rights in Thailand (22 May 2014-15 January 2015)." Following the 22 May 2014 coup, the jurisdiction of the military court system has been extended to civilian cases. </div>

<div>A red-shirt poet whose lèse majesté case is being tried by a military court has made the extraordinary decision to fight the case despite the dim chances of winning.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Wednesday, the military court scheduled the first witness hearing for 2 April. There are 10 witnesses in total.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>His case is being tried in camera at a military court after the court said his crimes--writing poems-- are severe since his poems touched on the revered Thai monarchy. </div>