<p dir="ltr">Lawyers, academics, and civil society groups have condemned the Thai junta for intervening in an election of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, saying that the junta has no legitimacy to do so.</p>
<p>People and civil society groups in the Deep South of Thailand have donated more than 3 million baht to help an Islamic school after it was forced to close down under a court order.</p>
<p>Civil society groups in the Deep South on Saturday, 19 March 2016, organised a fundraising event to help the Waemanor family, who ran a Pondok, Islamic religious school, called ‘Jihad Pondok’ in Talo-Kapo Village, Yaring District, Pattani Province until the court confiscated its land in early February. </p>
<p>A member of the Malaysian Parliament has urged the Malaysian government to acknowledge the recent confiscation of the land of an Islamic school in the Deep South by the Thai authorities while questioning Malaysia’s role in the peace process. </p>
<p>After the seizure of a public hospital in the Deep South sparked outrage from both the authorities and civil groups, the Thai military said that they have to tighten control over the region amid calls from activists that they should step back for civilian protection.</p>
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<div>An environmentalist has been given a one-year suspended jail term because of a Facebook post criticising a coal ash project.</div>
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<div>On Thursday, 17 March 2016, Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Court sentenced Kumpol Jittanang, a marine environmentalist and coordinator of the Disaster Management Centre, Nakhon Si Thammarat, to one year in jail after finding him guilty of defaming an academic. The court also fined him 40,000 baht, iLaw <a href="http://freedom.ilaw.or.th/case/705#progress_of_case">reported</a>.
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<p>Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, Defence Minister and deputy junta leader, defended the junta’s proposal to reserve seats for military chiefs in the Senate, saying that the plan will prevent coups d’état in the future. </p>
<p>A controversial Thai temple has reportedly given an award to a radical anti-Muslim Burmese monk on his visit to Thailand while a group of Thai monks openly showed him support.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Military freed an anti-junta facebook administrator after detaining him incommunicado for seven days.</p>
<p>According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), the family of Sarawut Bamrungkittikhun, the administrator of the Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/issuesopen">‘Poet Praden’ (Open Issues)</a>, who was abducted by military officers last week, reported that Sarawut was released from the 45th Army Division in southern province of Surat Thani at 8 am on Wednesday, 16 March 2016.</p>
<p>A Provincial Court has dismissed charges against a man accused of taking part in killing a southern land rights activist, citing weak evidence.</p>
<p>The Provincial Court in Wiang Sa District of Surat Thani Province, on Tuesday, 15 March 2016, dismissed charges against Santi Wanthong, a suspect in the assassination of Chai Bunthonglek, a 61-year-old member of the Southern Peasant’s Federation of Thailand (SPFT) from Khlong Sai Pattana Community in Chai Buri District of Surat Thani.</p>
<p>The Thai military have abducted the administrator of an anti-junta Facebook page who has been reported missing since last week, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).</p>
<p>TLHR on Monday, 14 March 2016, issued a public statement, urging the authorities to immediately release Sarawut Bamrungkittikhun, the administrator of the Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/issuesopen">‘Poet Praden’ (Open Issues)</a>.</p>
<p>The Interior Ministry has found that 28% of stateless students were qualified to get Thai citizenship. Those who were eligible could check their eligibility and file petitions to receive citizenship at their local registration office.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Military officers intimidated a politician from Pheu Thai Party, warning him over his criticisms towards the junta, while on the same day, visiting an anti-establishment red shirt campaigning against the controversial draft charter. </p>