<p>The posterchild of the democracy movement in Thailand, detained for lèse majesté, has won the prestigious Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.</p> <p>The selection committee of the South Korean May 18 Memorial Foundation announced that Jatuphat ‘Pai’ Boonpattararaksa, a law student and key member of the New Democracy Movement (NDM), is the winner of the 2017 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>As Thais celebrate Songkran Festival, one of the few remaining landmarks commemorating the 1932 democratic revolution has been quietly removed.</p> <p>On 14 April 2017, the brass plaque commemorating<a href="https://prachatai.org/english/category/1932-revolution"> the 1932 Revolution</a>&nbsp;at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok disappeared.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The Criminal Court has freed three of the five ‘men in black’ suspects accused of taking part in the deadly political violence on 10 April 2010 after charges against them were dismissed.</p> <p>On 11 April 2017, the Criminal Court released on bail three of the five suspects indicted for possession of unauthorized and illegal weapons of war, such as M79 grenade launchers, M16 rifles, HK33 rifles and explosive devices during the violent military crackdown against red-shirt protesters on 10 April 2010.</p>

<p>Despite opposition from media groups, the junta is proposing a law to punish unlicensed journalists with two years in prison. &nbsp;</p> <p>On 10 April 2017, Maj Gen Pisit Pao-In, chairman of the media subcommittee of the junta’s National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA), announced that under the&nbsp;<a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/6953">new Media Bill</a>,&nbsp;media workers who do not possess official licenses could face two years’ imprisonment, or a fine of 60,000 baht, or both. &nbsp;</p>

<p>A Buddhist foundation has accused Buddha Isara, an ultra-royalist monk and a key leader of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), of royal defamation over a ritual to bless Buddha amulets.</p> <p>On 10 April 2017, Wichai Prasertsutsiri, coordinator of the Centre for the Promotion of Buddhism Foundation, filed a complaint under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law, against <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/category/buddha-issara">Buddha Isara</a>&nbsp;at the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.</p>

<p>The family of an inmate who reportedly died of heatstroke after being disciplined by prison staff has demanded an investigation, believing that he was beaten to death by prison staff.</p> <p>On 7 April 2017, Kobkiat Kasivivat, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Corrections (DC),&nbsp;<a href="http://www.komchadluek.net/news/regional/270224">revealed</a>&nbsp;that Suriya Supharak, 47, imprisoned for drug-related offences, died in Takua Pa District Prison in southern Phang Nga Province on 1 April 2017.</p>

<p>The Appeal Court has once again refused to release an activist detained for sharing BBC Thai’s most popular story, which is now censored in Thailand.</p> <p>On 5 April 2017, Appeal Court Region 4&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=3897">confirmed the ruling of the Court of First Instance not to release</a>&nbsp;Jatuphat ‘Pai’ Boonpattararaksa, a law student and key member of the New Democracy Movement (NDM).</p> <p>The ruling was read after Jatuphat’s lawyer submitted a request to appeal the earlier second ruling not to release the activist.</p>

<p>A former member of the parliament (MP) from the Democrat Party says that more than half of Thailand’s military conscripts end up as servants for high-ranking military officers.</p> <p>On 4 April 2017, Wilat Chantarapitak, a former Democrat Party MP and former advisor to a parliamentary anti-corruption committee,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.matichon.co.th/news/519449">told the media</a>&nbsp;that the military conscription system in Thailand is in crisis.</p>

<p>After spending billions of baht on submarines from China, the Defence Ministry now plans to buy more tanks for the Army.</p> <p>At the Cabinet meeting on 4 April 2017, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, the Defence Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and deputy junta head, said the cabinet&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bangkokbiznews.com/news/detail/748608">will not discuss</a>&nbsp; the plan to spend 36 billion baht on three ‘Yuan Class S26T’ submarines from China.</p> <p>He said the Defence Ministry’s Permanent Secretary’s Office still needs to check the details of the submarine procurement contract.</p>

<p>BBC Thai has revealed that its controversial biography of King Vajiralongkorn broke records as the site’s most popular story, accumulating millions of views despite the article eventually being censored in Thailand.</p> <p>The biography of Thailand’s new King, published in December last year, has received over 3 million views and counting, revealed Iain Haddow, Executive Editor of BBC Asia, at a public talk on ‘Media Freedom in an Increasingly Authoritarian World’ on 29 March 2017. &nbsp;</p> <p>The biography has had 10 times as many views as the site’s next top performing story.</p>

<p>After a seven-day ban by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Voice TV is back on air, but for the time being there will be no programmes critical of the authorities.</p> <p>After the NBTC 7-day ban came to an end on 4 April 2017, Prateep Kongsib, Director of Voice TV’s news programme, published a statement on the Voice TV website called&nbsp;<a href="http://www.voicetv.co.th/blog/476946.html">‘The Return of Voice TV (Again)’</a>&nbsp;.</p>

<p>Civil society groups have urged an end to the culture of impunity after the latest summary killing in the restive Deep South while an insurgent group condemned the killing.</p> <p>Soldiers and paramilitary officers in Rueso District of Narathiwat on 29 March 2017 summarily killed Isma-ae Hama, 28, and Aseng Useng, 30.</p>