<div> <div>Human rights advocates have attributed the junta’s recent order to cease trials of national security crimes in military courts to international pressure and the incapacity of military courts themselves, rather than the junta’s commitment to human rights.&nbsp;</div> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7640/16637990197_bd2f6a0230.jpg" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>NCPO Head Order No. </div>

<div> <div> <div>Police officers in Thailand’s northeast have achieved a new standard of intimidation after pressing charges against two rights advocates for merely observing a seminar criticizing the junta-backed charter.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Wednesday, 31 July 2016, police officers in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen summoned six people to Mueang District Police Station to hear accusations against them. The authorities accused the six of breaching NCPO Order No. </div></div></div>

<p>Following the announcement of the NCPO that the Constitutional Referendum is to be held on August 7, various groups have expressed their views on Thailand’s draft constitution. Both pro- and anti-draft groups have been running campaigns and expressing their views in public. Unfortunately, however, the NCPO has not been welcoming of the views of both groups.<br /></p>

<div>Almost 20 people in northeastern Thailand have been summoned after they participated in a red-shirt referendum watch campaign a month earlier.</div> <p>On Thursday, 14 July 2016, security officers including soldiers, police officers, and local administration officials in the northeastern province of Udon Thani summoned 19 people who joined a local red-shirt referendum watch campaign on 19 June, to an attitude adjustment session, a form of detention with lectures from military, at the 24th Army Circle, <a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=1161">reported</a> Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (</p>

<div> <div>A group of villagers in Isaan have been summoned to a military camp as an alternative to facing criminal charges after they joined the red-shirt referendum watch campaign. </div></div>

<p>After the Military Court ordered the release of seven democracy activists on Tuesday, only six have been freed.</p> <p>At around 8:30 am on Wednesday, 6 July 2016, the Department of Corrections released six of the seven democracy activists accused of violating the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Head’s Order No. 3/2015, the junta’s ban on political gatherings of five or more persons, and the controversial Referendum Act for distributing campaign flyers on the upcoming draft constitution referendum.</p>

<p>The Military Court has released the seven embattled democracy activists after detaining them for nearly two weeks.</p> <p>The Military Court of Bangkok at around 3:30 pm on Tuesday, 5 July 2016, refused the police permission to detain the seven activists, most of whom are affiliated with the New Democracy Movement (NDM): Rangsiman Rome, Korakoch Saengyenpan, Thirayut Napnaram, Somsakol Thongsuksai, Yuttana Dasri, Nantapong Panmat and Anan Loket.</p> <p>According to officers from the Department of Corrections, the seven will be released on Wednesday morning.</p>

<p>The Thai military have accused red shirts in Phrae of breaking the junta’s ban on political gatherings and summoned them for a four-day attitude adjustment session in exchange for having charges against them withdrawn.</p>

<div>On 23 June 2016, students and a group of labor union board members campaigned around the Bang Phli Industrial Estate to disseminate information about the draft constitution and urge people to exercise their right to vote in the referendum. But soldiers and police interrupted and stopped them. They were arrested and accused of violating Head of the NCPO Order No. 3/2558 [2015] and the Referendum Act of B.E. 2559 [2016]. </div>

<p dir="ltr">The 13 activists arrested for campaigning about the draft charter referendum could face up to 10 years imprisonment for ‘Vote No’ campaign.</p> <p dir="ltr">Amid presence of pro-democracy crowd in front of the courthouse, the Military Court of Bangkok at around 6:30 pm on Friday, 24 June 2016, granted to the police the custody permission to detained 13 pro-democracy activists arrested for distributing ‘Vote No’ flyers to campaign for the upcoming draft constitution referendum.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><em><strong>Update:</strong> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1123490757692319&amp;id=100000942179021&amp;pnref=story">Anon Nampa, human rights lawyer, reported at 9:20 am on Friday</a>, 24 June 2016, that the police refused to grant bail to some of the pro-democracy activists and filed an additional charge against the 13 activists for refusing to sign the police report.</em></p>

<p>A prominent legal officer of the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has accused leaders of the anti-establishment red shirts of violating the junta’s ban on political gatherings by opening a now-banned referendum watch centre.</p>