<p>Leading media organisations throughout the country have joined hands against a controversial media licensing bill that will give the government greater control over the media. &nbsp;</p> <p>On 29 January 2017, representatives of 30 media organisations nationwide issued a joint statement against the controversial Media Reform Bill. &nbsp;</p> <p>Citing the media as a factor in many social problems, the bill outlines moral standards for all forms of media with penalties for non-compliance.</p>

<div>A new law excludes high ranking royals from Thailand’s inheritance tax, even though a portion of royal expenses comes out of the National Budget.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 25 January 2017, the Royal Gazette published a law titled, “Financial Ministerial Regulation On Persons Classified for Inheritance Tax Exemption”. </div>

<p>A military court has sentenced a supporter of anti-junta activists and the anti-establishment red shirts to 11 years and four months in prison for royal defamation.</p> <p>On 27 January 2017, the Military Court of Bangkok handed a jail term to Burin Intin for offences under Article 112 of the Criminal Code — the lèse majesté law.</p> <p>The military court reached the verdict after he pleaded guilty to the two counts of lèse majesté with which he was indicted. Burin was also indicted under Article 14 of the 2007 Computer Crime Act for publishing illegal computer content.</p>

<p>The administrators of a famous political and social satire Facebook page have been accused of criminal defamation and violation of the Computer Crime Act.</p> <p>On 26 January 2017, Atchariya Rueangratanapong, President of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Helpcrimevictimclub/">Help Crime Victim Club</a>, filed a legal complaint against the administrators of the political and social satire Facebook page called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DramaAdd/">‘Drama-addict’&nbsp;</a>at Phra Pradaeng Police Station in Samut Prakan Province.</p>

<p>Isaan villagers have won a landmark lawsuit which the Thai authorities filed against them for opposing the construction of one of the junta’s Special Economic Zones (SEZ).</p> <p>On 26 January 2017, the Provincial Court of Nakhon Phanom&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=3384">dismissed the lawsuit filed against 29 villagers&nbsp;</a>from Khok Phu Kratae and Phai Lom villages in At Samat Subdistrict of Mueang District in the province.</p>

<div> <div>Villagers are opposing the building of a waste-to-energy power plant over local water sources. The plant will contaminate Bangkok's water supply, according to an activist.</div> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 25 January 2016,<a href="http://prachatai.com/journal/2017/01/69777"> villagers from Chiang Rak Yai subdistrict submitted a petition</a> to to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). </div>

<p dir="ltr">The leader of Thailand’s red shirts has offered support to the junta’s controversial reconciliation schemes, on the condition principles of justice and equality are followed. &nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">On 21 January 2017, Jatuporn Prompan, the leader of the anti-establishment United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), voiced the movement’s support for the junta’s hurtling efforts to bridge conflict between opposing factions in Thai politics.</p>

<div> <div>A global report has ranked Thailand’s perceived level of corruption at 101st out of 176 countries, due to its undemocratic political climate and pervasive corruption.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Though the junta has set the elimination of corruption as a policy priority, Thailand’s ranking has slipped down Transparency International’s <a href="https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2016">Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2016</a> from joint 76th in 2015 to joint 101st. Its score also dropped from 38 out of 100, to 35. </div></div>

<p>A teacher in northeastern Thailand has injured a third grade student by pressing a heated bottle against his leg, reports say.</p> <p>On 24 January 2017, a Facebook user named Pan Wippan shared&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=714575672034971&amp;set=o.221317851322226&amp;type=3&amp;theater">a Facebook post&nbsp;</a>about a third grade student from Non Sa-at District, Udon Thani Province who was physically abused by his maths teacher.</p>

<div>Human rights lawyers have filed a charge against Thailand’s Corrections Department after prison officers barred a lawyer from meeting his lèse majesté client.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5568/15214891692_e68b09995d_o.png" style="width: 640px; height: 452px;" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <div>On 16 January 2016, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) filed a charge against the Corrections Department, the Director of Chiang Rai Central Prison and a prison staff member. </div></div>

<p dir="ltr">A military court has sentenced to jail an activist demanding a probe into the Rajabhakti Park corruption allegations.</p> <p>On 25 January 2017, the Military Court of Bangkok <a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=3366">handed out 8 months of imprisonment </a>to Thanet Anantawong for defying the junta’s ban on political gatherings of five or more persons.</p> <p>The military court judges, however, halved the jail term to four months after Thanet pleaded guilty.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Public prosecutors have dropped defamation charges against <a href="http://prachatai.org/english/node/6811">Naritsarawan ‘May’ Keawnopparat</a>, Prachatai’s Person of the Year 2016.</p> <p>On 24 January 2017, Naritsarawan told <a href="http://www.bbc.com/thai/thailand-38727957">the BBC Thai</a> that the Director-General of the 9th region Public Prosecutor’s Office and prosecutors of Narathiwat Province dropped accusations under the Computer Crime Act and Criminal Defamation against her.</p>