By Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) |
<p>Since December 2008, the Royal Thai Government (RTG) has increasingly stressed its policy that migrant workers from Burma currently in Thailand must enter a nationality verification process (NV). NV is apparently required to change migrant’s status from persons who illegally entered Thailand to persons who are legally resident here, as well as to allow migrants to legally work and receive legal protection equal to Thai persons.</p>
<p>The Appeal Court has reduced Boonyuen Prasertying’s sentence to 2 years, after she appealed the original 6-year term. She is to be released in August 2010.</p>
By Reporters Without Borders |
<p>A young blogger, Win Zaw Naing, is facing a possibly 15-year jail sentence just for posting pictures and reports about the September 2007 protests, known as the Saffron Revolution. Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association call for his release and the release of all the other detained bloggers.</p>
By Thai Netizen Network |
<p>Thai Netizen Network demands Thai authorities to make clarification on the recent arrests of internet users, including Nat Sattayapornpisut in whose case the authorities are asked to disclose the means of accessing e-mail accounts and the law that entitled them to do so, 'since this matter may have violated people’s right to privacy and freedom to communicate'.</p>
<p>A media watchdog has urged the Thai-language Thai Post daily to explain to the public its decision to remove the column of Bai Tong Hang, who eventually resigned from the paper.</p>
By The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) |
<p>The clock is ticking fast, and the Senators are now facing judgment: Are they champions of the people's right to know?</p>
By Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) |
<p>The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) expresses its concern over a statement made by Information and Communication Technology Minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee of Thailand threatening to pursue legal action against websites and their respective Internet service providers (ISPs) where posts discussing the King’s health allegedly caused the drop in the Thai bourse last month.</p>
<p>In response to <a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/1467">Awzar Thi's criticism</a> of human rights advocates in Thailand, Danthong Breen, chairman of the Union for Civil Liberty, a leading human rights organization based in Bangkok, has sent an email to a group of activists. Prachatai sees this as a valuable contribution to the debate on the roles of human rights activists in Thailand, and has translated and published his email on <a href="http://www.prachatai.com/journal/2009/11/26469">Prachatai (Thai version)</a> with the kind permission of Mr Breen. Here is his email and a response from Thongchai Winichakul, Thai academic at the University of Wisconsin in the US.</p>
By Reporters Without Borders |
<p>Three Internet users have been arrested in the past four days for posting articles blaming King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s poor health for last month’s fall in the Bangkok stock exchange. They have been charged under article 14 of the Computer Crimes Act 2007 with endangering national security by spreading false rumours about the king’s health.</p>
<p>The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has told Internet Service Providers to deal with offending websites, saying if they fail to do so, the Ministry will close them. </p>
By SEAPA |
<p>Speech and Internet advocates in Thailand are questioning why the Thai police invoked the Computer Crimes Act in going after two Thais accused of spreading rumors on the King's health, media reports in Bangkok say.</p>
By MADPET |
<p>MADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture) is pleased that there is some realization from the government, in particular the Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay, about the fact that ‘…young Malaysian girls, some fresh graduates, were easily conned by men from the syndicates to travel abroad with a package…’ The report also stated that ‘…Malaysian lasses are an easy lot to charm. They are easily smitten by sweet words and gifts, making them an easy target for drug-trafficking syndicates looking for mules…’ (<em>Star, 1/11/2009, Malaysian girls easily duped</em>)</p>