<p>In the three years since the 2014 coup d’état, the regime has disrupted 157 public events, most for being politically sensitive.</p> <p>According to<a href="https://freedom.ilaw.or.th/blog/banonactivitiesunderncporegime">&nbsp;iLaw</a>, a human rights advocacy group, from the day of the military coup d’état on 22 May 2014 until 10 July 2017, the junta has disrupted at least 157 public events.</p>

<p>A healthcare expert has voiced opposition to the proposal to separate the salaries of public health personnel from the total public healthcare budget, warning that it could result in serious inequality in health care. &nbsp;</p> <p>On 12 July 2017, Winai Swasdiworn, former Secretary-General of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), publically warned of the danger in separating the salaries of public health personnel from the total budget for national universal healthcare, aka the ‘Gold Card Scheme’.</p>

<p>An anti-junta journalist who fled the country to the US shortly after the 2014 coup d’état has been granted official refugee status. &nbsp;</p> <p>On 13 July 2017, Jom Petchpradab, a veteran journalist now living in self-exile in the US, posted on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155454187128965&amp;set=a.132094058964.106540.678858964&amp;type=3&amp;theater">his Facebook account</a>&nbsp;that he has been granted official refugee status from the US government.</p>

<div>A university staff has asked a student to cease prosecution against seniors who posted her picture on Facebook and condemned her for inappropriate dressing though she was in a department store.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 10 July 2017, the ANTI-SOTUS, a network against human rights violations in universities, published screen captures of a Facebook user posting candid photos of a student wearing uniform of Maejo University with jean and sandals. The photo's’ caption is “What’s your major? How could you dress like this? Don’t your seniors educate you? </div>

<p>A former MP from the Democrat Party has questioned the junta over the disproportionate number of military appointments to the boards of state enterprises.</p> <p>On 10 July 2017, Rachada Dhnadirek, former MP of the Democrat Party,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thairath.co.th/content/1000320">publicly pondered&nbsp;</a>how serious Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, is about corporate governance.</p> <p>Rachada pointed out that military officers have been appointed to the boards of almost every state enterprise.</p>

<p>The director of an influential Malay community radio station in the restive Deep South has passed away.</p> <p>At around 3 am on 11 July 2017, Waehama Waekuejik, director of Media Selatan, a local radio channel with a large following among grassroots villagers in the Deep South based in Pattani, passed away.</p> <p>Waehama had been battling colon cancer for the last three years.</p> <p>He played an important role in shaping Media Selatan, which is known for reporting on critical issues in the Deep South related to politics and violence in the region since its founding in 2008.</p>

<p>After spending billions on submarines and tanks, the Ministry of Defence is planning to spend another 8.8 billion baht on new fighter jets for the Air Force.</p> <p>On 10 July 2017, the Ministry of Defence revealed that Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, the Defence Minister, will submit a proposal to the cabinet meeting on 11 July to procure eight T-50TH fighter jets from South Korea for the Royal Thai Air Force. The deal will cost the country about 8.8 billion baht.</p>

<div> <div>Under the junta, where a free media is crucial for voicing people’s concerns, all people can hear from the Thailand’s so-called public television is “the sound of silence,” says an academic.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In The Creative Forum on 5 July 2017, Pokpong Chanwit, who conducted research in the 2009 performance evaluation project of Thai Public Broadcasting Service (ThaiPBS), delivered a speech calling on ThaiPBS to improve its internal management system and raise its voice for the people.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Pokpong said that after 10 years of operations, he, like many </div></div>

<p>A respected academic has been summoned by the police to hear charges filed against him in February by the national police chief for allegedly defaming the police.</p> <p>On 6 July 2017, Sungsidh Piriyarangsan, Dean of the College of Social Innovation of Rangsit University, was summoned to Lumpini Police Station in Bangkok to hear charges arising from a public forum in January about police reform.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Almost one year after the constitution referendum in 2016, the police have concluded to press charges against 11 people accused of breaking the junta’s political gathering ban for participating in a discussion about the 2017 Constitution.</p>

<p>The military has intimidated a human rights defender in the restive Deep South, ordering her not to post comments on Facebook about human rights violations.</p> <p>On 1 July 2017, six men believed to be military officers in plainclothes visited the shop of the family of Anchana Heemmina, president of Duay Jai, a local human rights advocacy group in the Deep South, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://voicefromthais.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/public-statement-isoc-region-4-should-stop-intimidating-a-hrd/">the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF)</a>.</p>

<p>A military court has acquitted a well-known labour unionist accused violating a summons from the junta.</p> <p>On 6 July 2017, the Military Court of Bangkok acquitted Jittra Cotchadet, a labour activist, former president of the Triumph Workers Union and MP candidate for the Democratic Force Party.</p> <p>Jittra was accused of violating National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Announcement No. 41/2014 for failing to report to the authorities in June 2014 when she was in Sweden at the time.</p>