<p>Workers at construction sites within a 5-kilometre radius of the Ming Dih Chemical polysterene factory fire were prohibited from evacuating by military personnel following a government order to close construction sites as part of the current Covid-19 lockdown measures.</p>

<p>A protest was held next to the Government House on Friday (2 July) demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha for the government&rsquo;s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic and failure in sourcing effective vaccines.</p>

<p>On 1 July, the US Department of State released the <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-trafficking-in-persons-report/">2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report</a> downgrading Thailand to the Tier 2 Watch List after finding fault with government efforts to address forced labour and trafficking issues particularly in the fishing, seafood and garment sectors.</p>

<p>The Thailand Nightland and Entertainment Business Association (NEBA), along with a group of musicians, went to parliament on 1 July to submit a letter inquiring about their demands&nbsp;for assistance for workers in the nightlife and entertainment industry who have been affected by the Covid-19 lockdown, while the Commoner Band performed by the Parliament compound to show support for their colleagues, and to hold a memorial event for a musician who recently committed suicide.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Representatives from the sex worker rights group Empower Foundation went to Government House on Tuesday morning (29 June) to demand assistance from the government for sex workers and service sector workers affected by the closure of entertainment establishments during the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>

<p>Thailand&rsquo;s nomination of the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex for World Heritage status should once again be deferred due to concerns about violations of the rights of local indigenous communities, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).</p>

<p>The Rights and Liberties Protection Department (RLPD) has responded to a request from Prachatai, New Naratif and Voice of Democracy for information regarding progress in the case of Wanchalearm Satsaksit, an activist who was abducted while living in self-exile in Phnom Penh.</p>

<p>U Aung Thien, 43, a hired boatman from Dawei, died in Bangkok&rsquo;s Wat Phai Tan community on 28 June. The cause of death is still under examination, amid concern in this multinational community over the lack of medical assistance, Covid-19 testing and state relief which they have not been able to access.</p>

<p>The online royalist group Thailand Help Centre for Cyberbullying Victims has reportedly threatened to file lèse majesté charges, or Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, against over 100 people, whose personal details were released on a Google map link.</p>

<p>The 89th anniversary of the democratic revolution that toppled the absolute monarchy of Siam resonated with demands for political and monarchy reform as the commemoration coincided with a parliamentary debate over motions to amend the constitution.</p>

<p>The student activist group Bad Student staged a protest at the Ministry of Education to call for gender equality and LGBTQ rights in the school system.</p>

<p>A network of nightlife and entertainment professionals have petitioned the government for support for workers and business owners affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.</p>