<div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>A military court in Northern Chiang Rai Province on Thursday sentenced an anti-coup protester to three months in jail and fine of 5,000 baht, with the jail term suspended for one year. </div></div>

<div> <p>KHON KAEN – Since the May 22 coup d’état, Thailand’s military has tried to sweep the country clean of weapons to quell fears of a violent uprising. But in Isaan, the heartland of the Red Shirts, some of the soldiers’ actions have raised doubts about the military’s intentions. Red Shirts here believe that the military may be wrongly framing peaceful Red Shirts as violent terrorists in a high-profile legal case, which could set the stage for a wider crackdown on Red Shirts in the region.</p> </div>

<p>It has become increasingly clear over the past week since the imposition of Martial Law nationwide followed by the coup that one of Thailand’s most draconian and abused laws, the lèse majesté law or Article 112 of the Penal Code, is being used to persecute anyone who voices opposition to the coup.</p>