<p>Sondhi Limthongkul, leader of the yellow-shirt People&rsquo;s Alliance for Democracy, will testify in court on 21 Aug in his own defence against l&egrave;se majest&eacute; charges for repeating the words of Da Torpedo on a PAD stage in 2008.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>

<p>On 23 July, the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court held the first hearing in the inquest into the death of the Italian photo-journalist Fabio Polenghi who was killed during the government crackdown on red shirts in May 2010.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.fringer.org/">Blogger</a> and freelance financial analyst Sarinee Achavanuntakul has made some observations about the Crown Property Bureau&rsquo;s recently released <a href="http://www.crownproperty.or.th/home/file/annual_report_2554.pdf">2011 annual report</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>The public prosecutor has decided to drop a l&egrave;se majest&eacute; case against <a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/category/chotisak-onsoong">Chotisak Onsoong</a> and his friend who did not stand up for the royal anthem in a Bangkok cinema in 2007.</p>

<p>17 July 2012, BANGKOK -- First day of trial of Akachai H., the Australian documentary CD and Wikileaks seller, begins at Ratchada Criminal Court today. In May 2011, the 36-year-old legal lottery vendor was accused of breaching Article 112 of the Criminal Code, better known as the lese majesty law, and Article 54 of the Film and Video Act for selling VCDs of documentary produced by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) without license. The VCDs contain moving images of persons similar to HRH Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and HRH Princess Srirasmi.</p>

<p>Jakrapob Penkair, former minister under the Thaksin government and a red-shirt leader, has fled Thailand and been in exile after the Abhisit government's first crackdown on the red-shirt movement in April 2009.&nbsp; He was interviewed by Prachatai's special reporter on 31 May this year.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/search/node/sombat">Sombat Boon-ngam-anong</a>, leader of the Red Sunday Group, presented his idea of petitioning the Constitution Court for its removal to a crowd of red shirts gathered in front of the Criminal Court on 8 July.</p>

<p>Prachatai interviewed members of the Network of Family Members and People Affected by the Lese Majeste Law during their public launch at the 14 Oct Memorial on 7 July.&nbsp; Interviewees include Sukanya Prueksakasemsuk, Keechiang Thaweewarodomkul, Pranee Danwattananusorn and Rosmalin Tangnoppakul.</p>

<p>On 11 July, <a href="http://somchaiaward.org">Somchai Neelapaijit Memorial Fund</a> will give out Somchai Neelapaijit Award to honor and support outstanding human rights defenders. Dr Charnvit Kasetsiri, former Rector of Thammasat University, will be the President of the Ceremony.</p>

<p>Public forum &quot;Reconciliation and Charter Change: Underpinnings and Scenarios&quot; organized by the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) at Chulalongkorn University on 3 July. Panelists include Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Suchit Bunbongkarn, Duncan McCargo, and Panitan Wattanayagorn.</p>

<p>Thongchai Winichakul, former student leader in 1976 and currently professor at the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US, wrote a <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/98322348/Letter-to-ICC-Prosecutor-Draft">letter</a> to the International Criminal Court on 24 May, regarding Thailand's political turmoil in 2010. He also visited the ICC in the Hague with the Red Shirt delegation this week.</p>

<p>The US has developed a project which can emit electromagnetic waves into the atmosphere to be reflected back to the earth to cause &lsquo;natural disasters&rsquo; at targeted areas, as a new kind of weapon to destroy enemies, said Panthep Puapongpan, spokesperson for the People&rsquo;s Alliance for Democracy in an ASTV-Manager television programme on 20 June.</p>