<p>A key red shirt leader has been released on bail, after he fell severely sick under Thailand’s prison conditions.</p>

<div> <div>Several prominent red shirt leaders have been given prison terms for leading a demonstration against the President of Thailand’s Privy Council.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 9 January 2016, the Criminal Court read the Appeal Court’s verdict on ten red shirt activists accused of unlawful assembly for leading a demonstration against General Prem Tinsulanonda, the President of the Privy Council.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The defendants were accused of leading a crowd of several thousand to Prem’s residence on 22 July 2007 to demand his resignation. </div></div>

<p dir="ltr">The junta leader has announced that King Vajiralongkorn has asked for certain amendments of the constitution about the authorities of the King.</p> <p>On 10 January 2016, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and Prime Minister, announced that the King through his privy council requested for certain charges in the constitution, which was approved by the public referendum last year.</p>

<p dir="ltr">According to a poll, Thailand is divided over whether the country is ready for democracy. While 37 per cent of Thais support postponing elections until 2018 after the mourning period, another 32 per cent believe elections should be held this year as per the junta’s road-map for national development.</p> <p dir="ltr">The findings come from a Suan Dusit poll of 1,192 Thais surveyed from 2–7 January 2017 on the theme ‘What do the people think about national reforms and elections?’, reports<a href="http://www.thairath.co.th/content/830733"> Thai Rath Online</a>.</p>

<div>Two Italian tourists were arrested after a CCTV filmed them throwing four Thai national flags on the ground. The suspects begged for forgiveness, saying they were extremely drunk. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 9 January 2017, police officers arrested Topias Gumper, 20, and Ian Gasgrazer, 18, in a guesthouse in Krabi Province. The two were accused of showing disrespect to national flags and private property, reported Thairath. </div>

<p dir="ltr">A spokesperson for Thailand’s Court of Justice has warned activists against gathering in front of a criminal court to support a detained lèse majesté suspect, saying they may be liable for criminal charges.</p>

<div>If legislation passes, suspects and prisoners accused of lèse majesté and corruption will no longer be eligible for political amnesty. </div>

<div>An optometrist in northern Thailand has been indicted for defaming then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn last year.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5568/15214891692_d9b2535c96_b.jpg" style="width: 640px; height: 453px;" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 29 December 2016, Sarawut (surname withheld due to privacy reasons), aged 32, was indicted in a military court in Chiang Rai Province for violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law, and the Computer Crimes Act, which outlaws the importation of illegal </div>

<div> <div>The first lèse majesté suspect under King Rama X claims that prison staff have repeatedly searched his rectum for drugs.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 5 January 2017, Jatuphat ‘Pai’ Boonpattaraksa, a key member of the New Democracy Movement (NDM) and Dao Din anti-junta activist groups, told Prachatai that every time he returns to prison from court, authorities order him to bend down so that his rectum may be searched.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Despite Jatuphat’s protests that he should not be subjected to this treatment since he is a political suspect, not a drug suspect </div></div>

<div> <div>The junta head has confirmed the allegation that police officers followed the former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra during her New Year holiday, saying it is normal for her to be followed.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 3 January 2016, Yingluck <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Y.Shinawatra/photos/a.106877456023385.4057.105044319540032/1453858854658565/?type=3&amp;theater">posted on her Facebook page</a> that she was closely followed by police officers and administration officials in plainclothes during a New Year trip with her family in Northern Thailand. </div></div>

<div>The lawyer of the first lèse majesté suspect under the King Rama X has challenged a court’s decision to grant custody permission for his client, saying the hearing was done behind the suspect. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 28 December 2016, Athiphong Phuphiw, the lawyer of Jatuphat Boonpattaraksa, has submit a petition the Khon Kaen Provincial Court. The petition demands revocation to custody permission of Jatuphat, which the court granted two days earlier. The petition stated that the court granted the permission without asking the suspect’s opinion. </div>

<p dir="ltr">The Central Administrative Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by anti-mine villagers against both a gold mine company and Thailand’s Industry Minister, saying villagers’ claims about the environmental effects of the mine are not credible. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p dir="ltr">On 28 December 2016, the Central Administrative Court in Bangkok dismissed a lawsuit filed against the Minister of Industry, the Director-General of the Department of Primary Industries and Mines, and Tungkum Company, a gold mine operator in Loei.</p>