<p>Thailand as Buddhist majority country can be tolerant of other religions as long as Buddhism is not criticized, questioned or violated, said Dr. Thongchai Winichakul, Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, at a lecture on Buddhist-Christian Controversies and Comparative Religion in Siam in the 1850s-1980s, held at the Siam Society on July 16. He said that this hypothesis is based on the historical controversy that occurred between Buddhism and Christianity in Thailand.</p> <p></p>

<div>Wider rifts are appearing among anti-government protestors occupying Sanam Luang as the leader of the Thai Patriotic Network denounced further joint protests with its former ally, Palang Thammatippatai, a group of men dressed in communist uniforms. &nbsp;This leaves about 200 protestors still camping out and calling for the removal of the government led by Yingluck Shinawatra.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<p>Adults should listen to teenagers if they want to protect the privacy of the young when using social media, Professor Dr. Urs Gasser, Executive Director, Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University, said in his presentation on Youth, Social Media, and the Future of Privacy at Chulalongkorn University on July 4.</p> <p></p>

<p>Thantawut Thaweewarodomkul, former webmaster of Red Shirt USA, who was sentenced to 13 years for lèse majesté, was granted a royal pardon and released from Bangkok Remand Prison on Friday, after serving 3 years. He was arrested in April 2010 for violating the lèse majesté law, or Article 112 of Criminal Code, and the Computer Crime Act.</p> <p></p>

<p>Public concern has arisen after the land donated to Dr. Cynthia Maung for her charitable Mae Tao Clinic in Tak Province near the Thai-Burmese border was reportedly transferred to a high-ranking police officer, with the monk who oversaw the transfer claiming it was for reasons of national security.</p> <p></p>

<p>The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Ekachai Hongkangwan, a 35-year-old man convicted of lèse majesté for selling copies Wikileaks cables and an ABC news documentary on Thailand’s monarchy, citing flight risk.</p> <p></p>

<p>The reception held at the US Ambassador’s Residence on June 26 to honour Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month fully supported LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. During the reception, Mr. Danai Linjongrat, Director of the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand, told Prachatai that Thailand doesn’t have to be in a hurry to the goal of legalizing same-sex marriage.</p> <p></p>

<div>Many countries have ratified the UN Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol, but incidents of torture by state authorities continue to increase in certain parts of the world such as Uganda and Indonesia, experts on human rights and the law said in a seminar on the Human Rights Situation in Different Regions: Torture Prevention on Thursday.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.97916603088379px;">Prachatai reports on the 5th World Congress Against the Death Penalty which took place in Madrid during June 12-15, 2013. The congress aimed to bring together intergovernmental, governmental and civil society leaders to come up with strategies for universal abolition of the death penalty. The congress was organized by Together Against the Death Penalty with sponsorship from the Spanish, Norwegian, French and Swiss governments.</span></p> <p></p>

<p>Since Buddhist teachings are against abortion and most Thais believe in Buddhism, the spread of abortion in Thailand demands an understanding of how Buddhism deals with this. Under Section 301 of the Criminal Code, abortion is illegal in Thailand except (Section 305) when the pregnancy threatens the mother’s health, which has been interpreted to include both physical and mental well-being, or when it is the result of rape, incest or other unlawful sexual contact. The Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights Foundation of Thailand (WHRRF) reports that about 300,000 people undergo abortions each year in Thailand.</p> <p></p>

<p>The 5^th World Congress against the Death Penalty took place in Madrid, Spain, last week with over 1,500 participants from 90 countries.&nbsp; Government representatives, intergovernmental organizations and civil society leaders came together to contribute to one of the biggest abolitionist movements in the world aiming for one goal – the universal abolition of the death penalty.</p> <p></p>

<div>Dr. Nopbhorn Leeprechanon, former President of the Faculty Senate of Thammasat University, said in the “Rector Meets Students” activity on Wednesday that Thammasat University would be the first in Thailand to allow two student representatives, the presidents of the Thammasat University Student Union and Thammasat UniversityStudent Council, to join the University Council. This unheard-of trial would benefit students in several ways, said Dr. </div>