<p>It would be very difficult to find anyone in Thai society who does not know Seksan Prasertkul, well-known former student leader, revolutionary, academic, thinker, writer, conservationist, artist, and so on. In the current political confusion, his thoughts presented during the opening remarks at the National Political Science and Public Administration Conference. </p>

<p><span>Teresinha Maria Noronha Cardozo, a Timor Leste National Election Commissioner, joined the ANFREL observation team in zone 7 under the care by ANFREL&#39;s local partner in Thailand, P-Net. The very strong P-Net observation team in Chumphon seems to have had some impact, as there have till now been no reports of serious electoral problems and no election-related violence.</span></p>

<p><span>Today ANFREL released its first pre-election report outlining its concerns ahead of the December 23^rd election. The report, a summary of findings from 37 observers between 10^th and 14^th December, underlined the need for greater voter education by the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) and political parties.</span></p>

<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">Thousands of workers at a Japanese electronics manufacturer in Thailand&#39;s northern Lamphun industrial estate have demanded pay rise and improved welfare and working conditions from the factory owner. In negotiations, the company yielded on only 3 out of 13 demands by the workers who then vowed to continue their struggle.</p>

<p>Malaysian authorities have invoked a draconian law allowing<br />detention without trial on five leaders of a movement which<br />organised a recent rally to express disaffection over the plight of<br />the marginalised minority ethnic Indians in the country.</p>

<p><span>On 12 October 2007</span><span> at 7.00 am more than 1,000 civil society representatives from different networks gathered in front of Parliament house intending to stop the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) from continuing its work.</span></p>

<p>The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) today released an open letter to Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, condemning a series of arrest of human rights defenders taking part in public rallies since 10 November 2007 onward. </p>

<p><span>Assoc Prof Dr Surachart Bamrungsuk of Chulalongkorn's Political Science Faculty said in a seminar marking Thailand's Constitution Day on Dec 10 at Chulalongkorn University that 2008 </span><span>will probably be one of the most challenging political periods in our lifetime, maybe harsher than 1992 [&lsquo;bloody May] if the general elections on Dec 23 do not happen, or there is another coup. </span></p>

<p>On 11 December 2007, Malaysian police arrested 26 people, including<br />a teenager, who were part of a civil society delegation to<br />Parliament to object to the rushed manner of a proposed<br />constitutional amendment to extend the tenure of the Election<br />Commission chair.</p>

<p>Academics call for a new constitution, an overhaul of security laws, and social welfare policies instead of populist election campaigns.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Burmese regime has banned the work of 19 artists and<br />writers, and some writers and poets are hiding from authorities because<br />they are being pursued for taking part in the September 2007 uprising.</p>

<p><span>On 12 December, a number of people will gather in front of parliament to lay siege to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), to make them virtually defunct. Led by the NGO Coordinating Committee on Development (NGO COD) and other civil society movements and individuals who can no longer tolerate the excesses of this interim legislature, the showdown is aimed at halting their last ditch of efforts to endorse, en masse and in haste, many laws that abuse human rights.</span></p>