<p>Independent film directors Manit Sriwanitchaphum and Apichartpong Weerasetthakul have posted an open letter on Facebook to oppose the Ministry of Culture&rsquo;s allocation of half of the 200-million-baht budget to support movie and video production under the government&rsquo;s Thai Khemkhaeng Project 2012 to Mom Chao Chatrichalerm Yukol&rsquo;s &lsquo;<a href="http://www.prachatai.org/english/node/1357">The Legend of King Naresuan</a>&rsquo; parts 3 and 4.</p>

<p>The Civil Court dismissed a case brought by Prachatai against the government within 5 hours of the complaint being filed, without examination of witnesses.</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders is extremely concerned about the impact on press freedom of the political violence and state of emergency in Thailand and reiterates its appeal to all parties to respect and guarantee the work of the press.</p>

<p>On 21 April, pro-government groups, including the Multicoloured Group and Silom Group, which according to the <a href="http://breakingnews.nationchannel.com/read.php?newsid=444253">Nation Channel</a> website, consist of people from Silom, Klongtoey and Thanon Tok, gathered at the Dusit Thani corner of Silom Rd, opposite the red shirts&rsquo; entrenchment in front of Lumphini Park, just across Rama IV Rd. &nbsp;The government supporters shouted at the red shirts to go away, and gave support to the military troops deployed there.</p>

<p>This evening, April 21, there are many disturbing reports of a possible new attack to disperse anti-government protestors that have continued to assemble in Bangkok, calling for the unelected premier, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to step down and for new elections to be held. There are grave and legitimate fears that further violence is imminent and that more lives will be lost. On April 10, at least 25 people died and hundreds were injured when the army moved on assembled demonstrators. Although the government denied that the military on that occasion used live ammunition, all evidence is to the contrary.</p>

<p>On 20 April, Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, CRES and army spokesperson, said that all CRES intelligence sources had reported that a group of terrorists among the red shirts were preparing weapons including grenades, Molotov cocktails, sharpened wooden rods in the form of spears and arrows, wooden sticks with nails, and acid.</p>

<p>Statement from Former Thai Senators (2000-2006)*,&nbsp;&ldquo;Demanding the government to stop blocking media channels and using the state-run media to present one-sided information on the crackdown of the demonstration on April 10, 2010&rdquo;</p>

<p>On 17 April, Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesperson for the Army and the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), said that the authorities had retrieved only vehicles, but had yet to be handed weapons which had been seized by the red shirts.&nbsp; He was concerned that agents provocateurs would use those weapons to put the blame on both the authorities and the red shirts.</p>

<p>According to the <a href="http://breakingnews.nationchannel.com/read.php?lang=th&amp;newsid=443538">Nation Channel</a> website, Abhisit Vejjajiva left the 11th Infantry Regiment headquarters on the afternoon of 17 April by a Black Hawk helicopter.&nbsp; He travelled to Hua Hin, Prachuab Khiri Khan, for a rest with his family.&nbsp; He is scheduled to return to Bangkok on 18 April.&nbsp; It was not known at which spot the PM got on the helicopter, because he was not seen on the helicopter which took off behind the Command Centre building.&nbsp; Abhisit has not given interviews to the media f</p>

<p>The number of Facebook users opposing a House dissolution has increased to over 300,000, while the red shirts can get only thousands.&nbsp; The number of fans of Abhisit has reached 200,000, or more than 10 times those of Thaksin, ASTV-Manager reports.</p>

<p>On 17 April, Election Commissioner Sodsri Sattayatham commented on the vote of Apichart Sukhakkhanon, Chair of the Election Commission, not to dissolve the Democrat Party in contrast to the other four commissioners.</p> <p>She said that Apichart wore two hats, as the Chair of the EC and as the Registrar of Political Parties. &nbsp;As Registrar, he had appointed a 9-member working committee to deal with the Democrat case on his behalf.</p>

<p>The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation has ordered the MICT to close 190 websites, of which over 60% are claimed to be politically seditious.&nbsp; Since the red shirt protests started, the MICT has ordered the blocking of about 500 URLs per day on average.</p>