A group of officials at the National Human Rights Commission have expressed discontent in a letter sent to the media over the fact that two members of the Nitirat group were invited to give lectures in the orientation for new recruits on 13-14 Jan.

Two weeks ago, on September 19, as Thailand marked the fifth anniversary of the coup that ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power, a group of academics, known as the Nitirat group, called a press conference to call for the expunging of all records and judicial decisions originating from the 2006 coup, the drafting of a new charter, as well as the amendment of the controversial lese majeste law by making it less draconian.

On 22 May, Niphit Intarasombat, Minister of Culture and the Democrat Party candidate for Phatthalung, said, in response to a public call to amend the law made by a group of writers last week, that he did not see any problem with the lèse majesté law and its enforcement.

On 19 May, groups of red shirts under the banner of Democracy Networks held activities to mark the first anniversary of the crackdown in front of Lumpini Park, performing traditional rituals to curse the masterminds who ordered the killings, and campaigning for the release of political prisoners and the repeal of the lèse majesté law.

Somsak Jeamtheerasakul, a staunch critic of the monarchy, has been threatened with lese majeste charges.  He and other academics will hold a press conference tomorrow at Thammasat University.