<p><span>At the Police Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok, Prachatai Director Chiranuch Premchaiporn was granted bail with Chantana Banpasirichote, political science lecturer from Chulalongkorn University, as guarantor.<span>&nbsp; </span>Chiranuch is being finger printed and filing her criminal record.</span></p>

<div><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><span><strong>Christoph M&uuml;ller</strong></span><span>, a leading Swiss TV reporter and producer, was handcuffed and arrested on arrival in Thailand on 27 February. He was freed on bail 24 hours later but the police confiscated his passport and he is forbidden to leave the country until further notice.</span></font></div>

<p>On Feb 24, Prawase Prapanukul, lawyer for political activist Daranee Charncherngsilpakul aka Da Torpedo, who has been detained on l&egrave;se majest&eacute; charges, said that on Feb 23 he had requested the Criminal Court to temporarily release Daranee, and was denied. This was the second attempt to seek bail for the accused pending trial, and previously a few attempts to seek bail while she was in police custody had also failed. However, he said he would request bail again soon.</p>

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">We, legislators from the different member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), gathered in Cha-am, Thailand, on February 28, 2009, hereby announce the formation of an ASEAN Legislative Caucus on Rights and Free Expression, with the aim of protecting and promoting our core values of democracy, human rights and free expression in the ASEAN Community, and ensuring their substance and realization under the ASEAN Charter and the ASEAN Human Rights Body.</span></p>

<p><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL-Foundation) has supported the promulgation of the ASEAN Charter for promoting democracy and constitutional government. Article 1.7 of the Charter clearly states that the regional body will be working &ldquo;&hellip;to strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, with due regards to the rights and responsibilities of the Member States of ASEAN&hellip;&rdquo;. <br /></font></p>

<p><font size="2" face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It is a rare occasion that both the ASEAN Chair and the ASEAN Secretary-General sit down to dialogue with hundreds of civil society representatives, and expectations were understandably high. However, it was a surprise that it was Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan who caused consternation by his responses to matters raised at the ASEAN Civil Society Conference dialogue session on the weekend.</span></font></p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders hails the release of Harry Nicolaides, who flew home to Australia today after being granted a royal pardon on 19 February. The press freedom organisation calls for a rapid overhaul of Thailand&#39;s lese majeste law.</p>

<p>BRUSSELS - Efforts by the European Union to insert strong provisions on pharmaceutical patents in a series of free trade agreements it is negotiating could imperil access to medicines in developing countries, global public health activists have alleged.</p>

<p>On Feb 17, over 5,000 PAD members attended the funeral of Arom Meechai, a teacher and active PAD member. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and a PM&rsquo;s Office Minister were among the attendees.</p>

<p>On Feb 16, a group of teachers, personnel and alumni of Chiang Mai University&rsquo;s Faculty of Fine Arts released a statement demanding the University Council to dismiss Assoc Prof Somkiart Tangnamo from the deanship of the faculty for signing Giles Ji Ungpakorn&rsquo;s petition to abolish the l&egrave;se majest&eacute; law.</p>

<p>Bangkok - Bangkok prison authorities submitted a request for a royal pardon for Australian Harry Nicolaides, who is serving a three-year prison sentence for lese majeste, officials confirmed Tuesday.</p>

<p>(New York, February 13, 2009) &ndash; The Thai military should immediately end the intimidation of human rights defenders in the southern border provinces, Human Rights Watch said today. Growing reports of abuses and illegal tactics by the security forces seriously undermine the credibility of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has vowed to bring justice to the conflict-ridden region.</p>