<p>(Tokyo, February 6, 2015) – Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should press Thailand’s junta leader to improve human rights and restore democratic civilian rule, Human Rights Watch said today.<br /><br />Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who chairs the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta that staged a military coup in May 2014, is scheduled to travel to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hrw.org/asia/japan" target="_blank">Japan</a>&nbsp;from February 8 to 10, 2015. According to his office, Prayuth will meet Abe to seek to boost Japanese investment in Thailand.<br /></p>

<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>

<p>The military summoned a southern land rights activist for three days of detention after he led a group of local farmers to fight for their land rights.</p> <p>The military on Sunday issued a letter summoning Peerat Bunrit, one of the leaders of Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT) from Chai Buri District of Surat Thani Province in southern Thailand, to a so-called ‘attitude adjustment camp’ for three days.</p>

<p>The Thai authorities summoned the US Chargé d'Affaires for talks over visits by US Embassy staff to red shirt leaders and ex-Pheu Thai politicians in the Northeast, noting that the visits might have a political effect and be inappropriate. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">(New York, January 29, 2015) –<a href="http://hrw.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d8%2c46%3d9-%3eLCE593719%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=4432086&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=71405&amp;Action=Follow+Link"> Thailand</a>’s military government has severely repressed fundamental rights and freedoms since the May 22, 2014 coup, Human Rights Watch said today in its <a href="http://hrw.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d8%2c46%3d9-%3eLCE593719%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=4432086&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=71404&amp;Action=Follow+Link">World Re</a></p>

<p>The Thai junta has ordered a German foundation to cancel a planned seminar on Thai media, scheduled to be held on Saturday, citing the “sensitivity” of the issue.</p> <p>The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) revealed to Prachatai that the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) forced the foundation to cancel the 2014 Asian Media Barometer Thailand event planned for Friday at a hotel in Ratchathewi, Bangkok.</p> <p>The event was to be held jointly with the Thai Journalists Association (TJA).</p>

<p><span>On 23 January 2013 the Criminal Court in Bangkok convicted Somyot Prueksakasemsuk of two violations of Article 112 of the Criminal Code. Somyot Prueksakasemsuk is a long-time labour rights activist and human rights defender. The Court found Somyot guilty on both charges, and he was sentenced to ten years in prison in this case, as well as to one year in prison in relation to a prior case.</span></p>

<p>In a move that caught observers completely unaware, the National Anti-Corruption Commission has initiated moves to impeach the National Legislative Assembly.</p> <p>Fresh from its victory in impeaching former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the NACC seems intent on purging Thai politics of all forms of corruption.&nbsp; And in their way of thinking, voting constitutes a form of corruption.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The court sentenced a former lèse majesté&nbsp;convict&nbsp;to two months and 20 days in prison for failing to report to the junta in June.</p> <p>The ex-lèse majesté&nbsp;convict is the first to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment for failing to report to the junta. Unlike others who pleaded guilty to defying coup orders, the court did not suspend the jail term because he was once convicted under lèse majesté law in 2009.&nbsp;</p>

<div></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <p>The NCPO claims to be reclaiming forest land from investors, but the poor continue to suffer. Junta policy introduced under martial law destroys livelihoods of thousands of forest inhabitants.</p>

<p>An ex-lèse majesté suspect charged with disobeying a junta order pleaded guilty to failing to report to the junta in June, despite the fact that he had earlier been arrested by the junta.</p> <p>Nut S., an anti-coup activist accused of defying the coup order which summoned him to report to the coup-makers in June, pleaded guilty during the trial at the military court in Bangkok on Wednesday morning.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Anti-coup student activist, who in November was arrested for flashing the anti-coup three-fingered salute at the Hunger Game 3 premiere, was threatened with rape by what are thought to be plainclothes military officers assigned to follow and watch her.</p> <p></p>