With the statute of limitations set to expire this Friday in a case stemming from the 25 October 2004 Tak Bai Massacre, the police have yet to locate trial defendants, at least several of whom reportedly fled overseas.

33 civil society organisations have issued a joint statement demanding that the Thai government protect Y Quynh Bdap, a UNHCR-recognised Montagnard refugee, and under no circumstances extradite him to Vietnam, where he is likely to face imprisonment and torture.

With the statute of limitations expiring on 25 October, the Muslim Students Confederation of Thailand (MUSTFETH) have filed a petition with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) calling on the UN to monitor the Thai authorities’ handling of the Tak Bai massacre trial.

Over four decades, efforts to decentralize power to local authorities in Thailand have faced significant challenges, with progress often hindered by stumbling blocks. Despite some advances, repeated political conflict has consistently held back progress, making the dream of true decentralisation elusive.

A network of 49 civil society organizations and activist groups have demanded that the government bring seven former officials charged with the 25 October 2004 Tak Bai Massacre to court, after the officials failed to appear at a hearing on Tuesday (16 October).

Thailand’s road to a new constitution just got longer; the House of Representatives and the Senate could not agree on whether to require a double majority when conducting referendums, further delaying passage of the Referendum Act. Meanwhile, both the Pheu Thai and People’s Parties have put their plans to amend sections in the Constitution concerning politicians’ ethics on hold.

Seven former officials facing trial for the 25 October 2004 Tak Bai Massacre, which resulted in the death of 85 people, have failed to appear at the court. At the same time, Pheu Thai MP Pisarn Wattanawongkiri, one of the former officials, has resigned. The court has given an ultimatum that they must appear by midnight on 25 October, the day the statute of limitations for the lawsuit expires.

Activist-turned-People’s Party MP Piyarat Chongthep has been acquitted of a royal defamation charge over putting up banners criticising the government’s Covid-19 vaccine procurement.

Caught in the middle of a trade war between the US and China, Thailand is becoming a new manufacturing base for Chinese companies, especially in technology. Meanwhile, Thai SMEs are facing an influx of cheaper Chinese goods, leading to concerns that Thailand will face a worsening trade deficit with China and will not be able to compete in the world market.

The ruling Pheu Thai Party and its patriarch, Thaksin Shinawatra, have been hit with a new legal challenge in the form of a petition filed with the Constitutional Court for alleged treason - similar to one that brought down the Move Forward Party (MFP).

The Appeal Court has sentenced an activist to prison for royal defamation over a protest speech in Chiang Mai province in 2021.

Vendors in Warorot Market in downtown Chiang Mai have returned to their shops after flood waters retreated from Chiang Mai’s downtown to damaged merchandise and shops, with several estimating the damage to their shops to be in the six figures.