<div> <div>Political parties, despite their divergent ideologies, are united in urging the junta to lift its ban on political activity now that the Organic Act on Political Parties is in effect. </div></div>

<p>On May 22, 2014 the Thai military, led by General Prayuth Chan-ocha, staged a coup d’état to end several months of political and civil chaos in Thailand. At its very basic level, the chaos was caused by an on-going conflict between the so-called ‘red-shirts’, followers of the government of Yingluck Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai party and comprising the rural voters forming a majority of the electorate, and the ‘yellow-shirts’, an alliance between the military, the Thai elite, and the middle-class Democrat party of Abhisit Vejjajiva with a strong following in Bangkok.</p>

<p>The Supreme Court has sentenced a former Commerce Minister in the Yingluck government to 42 years in prison for corruption over rice export deals.</p> <p>On 25 August 2017, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions sentenced Boonsong Teriyapirom, a Commerce Minister in the Yingluck administration, to 42 years in prison while Poom Sarapol, his former deputy, received 36 years.</p>

<p dir="ltr">On 25 August 2017, the Supreme Court will deliver its verdict on the historic case of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who stands accused of causing billions of baht in losses through her administration’s controversial rice-pledging scheme (RPS). Prachatai has gathered 10 important facts about the historic case, which will set a standard for future public policy and almost certainly deepen political divisions regardless of the outcome.</p> <p></p>

<p>Military has attempted to ban a book about the rice subsidy programme authored by politicians from the Pheu Thai Party.</p> <p>On 14 June 2017, Gen Chalermchai Sittisad, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=4396">spoke to the media</a>&nbsp;about&nbsp;<a href="http://prachatai.org/english/node/7208">a visit to the house of Yuttapong Charasathien</a>, a former Pheu Thai MP and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, by eight soldiers on 11 June.</p>

<p>The military has summoned an outspoken politician from the Pheu Thai Party to a military base for refusing to take part in the junta’s controversial reconciliation process.</p> <p>On 26 February 2017, Watana Muangsook, an embattled Pheu Thai politician, posted on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=594965884032979&amp;id=100005587187129">&nbsp;his Facebook account</a>&nbsp;that a military commander of the 21st Infantry Regiment had summoned him for a discussion.</p>

<p>A poll conducted by Bangkok University shows that more than half of respondents still support Thailand’s junta leader as Prime Minister.</p> <p>On 22 January 2017, the research centre of Bangkok University published the results of a&nbsp;<a href="http://bangkokpoll.bu.ac.th/poll/result/poll813_2.php?pollID=699">poll</a>&nbsp;about political parties and Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the current junta leader and Prime Minister.</p> <p>The poll was conducted using random sampling methods via mobile phones to reach 1,216 people from across the nation.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A Criminal Court has dismissed a charge against a well-known Pheu Thai Party politician indicted under the Computer Crime Act for mocking a deputy junta head.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Thailand&rsquo;s political landscape seems haunted by figures, events and images that once symbolised progressive change. Such change arguably has not come, yet the same symbols linger on, in newspapers, activist pamphlets and state media.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The Chiang Mai military court has released members of a political clan accused of committing crimes against the state by distributing letters criticising the junta-sponsored draft constitution.</p>

<p>In an interview with Prachatai following the constitutional referendum, Nidhi Eoseewong maintained that the results were due to the lack of free and open debate and criticism. Many people consequently made what seemed the easy choice giving the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) a sort of split legitimacy: While Thais may accept the results, it will be difficult to claim legitimacy with the international community where the process has been seen as unjust from the start. Despite the referendum result, he holds out hope for democracy future.</p> <p></p>

<div>A politician in the northern Thailand has been detained for spreading letters allegedly distorting the junta-sponsored draft charter’s content although the referendum has already ended. </div>