<p>Three elderly red shirts face seven years’ imprisonment for allegedly putting up banners calling for the separation of the northern region from Thailand. </p>
<p>On 30 October 2017, Chiang Rai Provincial Court held the preliminary hearing for Ot Suktako, 66, who was indicted under Article 116 of the Criminal Code, the sedition law, according to <a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=5576">Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR)</a>.</p>
<p>The Civil Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by pro-democracy activists against the junta.</p>
<p>On 30 October 2017, the Civil Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by 13 pro-democracy activists against the military government, according to <a href="https://www.matichon.co.th/news/714554">Matichon Online.</a></p>
<p>Most of the 13 are youth activists from the New Democracy Movement and Democracy Restoration Group.</p>
<p>The military has released an activist who was held in custody for five days for threatening to wear a red shirt on the cremation day of the late King Bhumibol. </p>
<p>Ekkachai Hongkangwan, a political activist and former lèse majesté convict, was freed at around 3 pm on 28 October 2017.</p>
<p>He was arrested on 24 October and detained for five days in resorts in Kanchanaburi Province by four police officers and one soldier.</p>
<p>He said he was given 5,000 baht and taken to several attractions in the province. </p>
<p>The junta leader has announced that the regime will use its absolute power to speed up development of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).</p>
<p>On 24 October 2017, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, announced after the ministerial meeting that the government is preparing to invoke Section 44 of the Interim Constitution to speed up development of the EEC, according to the <a href="http://www.tnamcot.com/view/59ef049ee3f8e40ae18e5014">Thai News Agency</a>.</p>
<p>More than a dozen soldiers have arrested an anti-junta activist who has vowed to wear a red shirt on the day of the cremation of the late King Bhumibol.</p>
<p>On 24 October 2017, three soldiers in uniform and 11 others in plain clothes arrested Ekkachai Hongkangwan, a political activist and former lèse majesté convict, at his house.</p>
<p>The military asked him whether he preferred to be taken to a resort in Kanchanaburi Province for a few days or an unspecified military base.</p>
<p>The UN has concluded that the detention of two lèse majesté convicts who were each sentenced to more than two decades in jail is arbitrary. </p>
<p><a href="https://prachatai.org/journal/2017/10/73768">Thai Lawyers for Human Rights</a> on 19 October 2017 reported that the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has concluded that <a href="https://prachatai.org/english/node/5397">Sasiwimon S</a>. and <a href="https://prachatai.org/english/node/5170">Tiensutham S</a>., aka. Yai Daengduad, are detained arbitrarily.</p>
<p>The military prosecutor has dismissed political charges against a former lèse majesté convict accused of defying a junta order.</p>
<p>Bangkok Military Court on 16 October 2017 held a deposition hearing for Pruetnarin (surname withheld due to privacy concerns), a 30-year-old who was previously sentenced to 14 years and 10 months imprisonment for lèse majesté.</p>
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<div>A military court has accepted a case against eight individuals who participated in seminar last year on the junta-backed constitution. Three are human rights defenders who came merely to observe the event. </div>
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<div>On 17 October 2017, Khon Kaen Military Court <a href="https://prachatai.com/journal/2017/10/73732">accepted a case</a> against five student activists and three human rights defenders.
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<div>Stores, cinemas, post offices, banks and the stock market have granted their employees a day off to honour the cremation of the late King Bhumibol. </div>
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<div>On 16 October 2017, the CP Group announced that its 7-11 convenience stores, the most popular in the country, and other stores in the CP Group nationwide will be closed on 26 October, the day of the cremation.
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<p>An online campaign has been started to call on the Thai authorities to drop a royal defamation charge against a well-known intellectual accused of defaming an ancient Siamese King.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A well known lawyer has pressed the public prosecutor about the rebellion case against key members of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), an anti-election movement, after three years of no progress.</p>
<p>On 11 October 2017, Winyat Chatmontri, a renowned lawyer from Free Thai Legal Aid, submitted a petition to Kemchai Chutiwong, the new Attorney General, asking him to speed up the case against key leaders of the PDRC.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A well-known politician from Pheu Thai Party accused of sedition for posting on Facebook about <a href="https://prachatai.org/english/node/7090">the missing 1932 Revolution Plaque</a> has vowed to fight charge.</p>
<p>On 9 October 2017, the Criminal Court held a deposition hearing for Watana Muangsook, a politician from Pheu Thai Party, who was indicted for breaching Article 116 of of the Criminal Code, the sedition law, and the Computer Crime Act.</p>