<p>To mark World Refugee Day on 20 June, Reporters Without Borders is paying tribute to those journalists who manage to continue working as journalists after being forced to flee their country. By so doing, they defy those who tried to silence them.</p>

<p>Amid increasing criticism, the country needs a rational approach instead of a policy that is causing conflict</p> <p>The debate on the merit of the controversial lese majeste law reached a new height earlier this week when Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha defended the law in his surprising nationwide address through Army-controlled Channels 5 and 7.</p>

<p>Firstly, we applaud and welcome the report by UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Mr Frank La Rue, at the 17th session of the UN Human Rights Council, which affirmed human right in the internet. Noting the important role that the internet played during times of political unrest, the report affirmed it as &ldquo;an indispensable tool for realising a range of human rights, combating inequality, and accelerating development and human progress&rdquo;.</p>

<p>Global Labor Standards for up to 100 Million People Worldwide</p> <p>(Geneva, June 16, 2011) &ndash; The adoption by the International Labor Organization (ILO) on June 16, 2011, of a new, groundbreaking treaty to extend key labor protections to domestic workers will protect millions of people who have been without guarantees of their basic rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Governments, trade unions, and employers' organizations that make up the ILO overwhelmingly voted to adopt the&nbsp; ILO Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, which establishes the first global standards for the estimated 50 to 100 million domestic workers worldwide, the vast majority of whom are women and girls.</p>

<p>Al-Bashir Should Not be Welcome at Economic Forum</p> <p>(New York, June 15, 2011) &ndash; Malaysia should withdraw its invitation to President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, an accused war criminal, to attend an international economic forum in Putrajaya from June 19 to 21, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today in letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Dato&rsquo; Sri Mohammed Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak. The Malaysian Cabinet plans to discuss the matter on June 17.</p>

<p>On 14 June 2011 private guards employed by Central Mindanao University (CMU) opened fire and beat protestors who had set up camp outside the university in Dologan, Maramag, Bukidnon in the southern Philippines. Human rights defenders Messrs Billy Jardin, Gregorio Santillan and Larry de Vera received gunshot wounds and Messrs Wenni Loable, Jos&eacute; Benemerito and Ms Marilou Portin were seriously injured. The protestors were members of Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus&ndash; (BTL) Farmer's Association and BTL Women's Association.</p>

<p>Recent fighting near the Dapein and Shweli hydropower dams in northern Burma shows how the buildup of Burma Army troops to secure deeply unpopular Chinese dam projects is fuelling conflict.</p>

<p>The &quot;invisible hand&quot;, &quot;special power&quot;, &quot;irresistible force&quot;, all these words have been mentioned frequently lately by people, politicians and the mass media when discussing Thai politics, the upcoming general election and what may follow.</p>

<p>(8 June 2011) Mr. President,</p> <p>Amnesty International estimates that there are more than 2,200 political prisoners in Myanmar held under vague laws frequently used by the government to criminalize peaceful political dissent. Some have been detained since the 1990s and others have more recently been sentenced to more than 60 years&rsquo; imprisonment. Many are held in inhumane conditions with inadequate food, sanitation or access to medical treatment. Amnesty International believes that the vast majority are prisoners of conscience held merely for peacefully exercising their rights to free expression, assembly, and association.</p>

<p>MMV/Thailand&mdash;At home, you may have a domestic worker from Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia. When going outside, one who waits in a restaurant may also be a person from those countries. We can also find them working on construction sites, fisheries, agricultural and industrial sectors. They are &ldquo;migrant workers&rdquo;, which now are necessary for Thai society and who we find in almost every place we spend our daily life. They also play an important role in driving the Thai economy.</p>

<p>Today (13th June) at 9am (GMT +1), Mr. Sawit Keawwan, General Secretary of Thailand's State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation (SERC), petitioned the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland. In a letter submitted to the ILO's Committee of Experts, SERC stated Thailand is systematically violating international law by failing to protect rights of migrant workers from Myanmar. SERC contended domestic mechanisms to challenge this exploitation, including court systems, had failed.</p>

<p>After the now notorious arrest in Thailand of US citizen and blogger Joe Gordon on lese majeste charges, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and her Embassy staff have been on the receiving end of some rather pointed comments from the Thai social media community.</p>