<p><span>On Oct 30, the provincial courts in </span><span>Chumphon, Ranong, and Surat Thani ordered the immediate release of 85 complainants who had been detained in military bases for a 4-month occupational training programme; 51 in Chumphon, 6 in Ranong, and 28 in Surat Thani.</span></p>

<p>Ni or Rasita Suiyoung told Prachatai that she crossed the border into Thailand in 2002 with her mother, after her father had died in Burma. Her elder brother had worked in Thailand, and after he learnt of the father&#39;s death, he brought Ni and their mother to Ranong.</p>

<p><span>Outspoken anti-coup leftist academic Giles Ungphakorn </span><span>is back from the UK. Did he meet Thaksin? He shared with Prachatai information about his visit, and opinions about Thailand's politics and people's movements.</span></p>

<p>At the IFEX General Meeting in Montevideo on 7 to 12 October, 20 IFEX<br />members and partners formed a special Burma Action Group (BAG) to respond<br />to the unfolding humanitarian crisis.</p>

<p>Thailand&#39;s increasing reliance on poorly trained and loosely supervised paramilitary and militia forces is complicating its efforts to<strong> </strong>tackle the insurgency in the South.</p>

<p><span>Giles Ungpakorn has condemned his colleagues at Chulalongkorn University&#39;s Faculty of Political Science for serving dictatorship and being corrupt.</span></p>

<p><span>Failure to Prosecute Tak Bai Killings Turns Reconciliation Policy Into Empty Promise</span></p>

<p><span>Prachatai talked with Pornsuk Kerdsawang, editor of </span><span><em>Friends without Borders</em></span><span>, a small magazine launched in 1999 and devoted to covering stories of refugees from Burma living in refugee camps along the Burma-Thailand border. </span></p>

<p>The internet user allegedly involved in a l&egrave;se majest&eacute; web-board thread posted on Prachatai discussion forum late last year met police for interrogation. He said he did not remember if he posted the comment and now the thread has been deleted.</p>

<p><span>On Oct 21, 14 human rights organizations voiced their opposition to the Internal Security Bill which had been approved by the cabinet on Oct 16, and is being forwarded to the National Legislative Assembly to pass into law.</span></p>

<p><span>On Oct 18, t</span><span>he Ranong Provincial Court conducted a hearing on complaints filed by families of southern suspects detained in Rattanarangsan military camp for a 4-month occupational training programme. Families of 10 detainees had asked the court to order their immediate release claiming the detention is unlawful.</span></p>

<p><span>On Oct 18, about 500 local people from </span><span>various districts of Ratchaburi province visited the Energy Ministry to submit to the permanent secretary their petition to order the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to scrap its affiliated companies&#39; planned bids to build new power plants in their neighbourhood</span></p>