<p><span>Many of Burma&rsquo;s democracy advocates place Thailand&rsquo;s army in a favourable light when compared to their own. But as their familiarity with the abuse of military power at home vastly outweighs their knowledge of that abroad, their appraisals too are imbalanced and detrimental.<span> <br /></span></span></p>

<p>According to the United Nations, the Royal Thai Police are organized criminals. That, at least, is the inference to be drawn from looking at its Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which was adopted in 2001 and which defines an organized crime group as involving at least three people acting in concert over a period of time &quot;with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences&hellip; in order to obtain&hellip; a financial or other material benefit.&quot; </p>

<p>A former Thailand MP who is now the secretary general of the Thai chamber of commerce is facing a &pound;16m legal claim from Tesco for speaking out against the retailer in his home country.</p>

<p>Many pro-coup activists who claime they definitely love democracy are bitter whenever any people compare Thai political development with neighboring Burma. </p>

<p>ML Nattakorn Devakula &amp; Rosana Tositrakul, from &quot;Rosana Tositrakul, are you kidding me?&quot; to &quot;ML Nattakorn Devakula, who&#39;s kidding whom?&quot;</p>

<p>Four Years On, Continued Impunity Fuels Cycle of Abuse and More &lsquo;Disappearances&#39;</p>

<p>It has been four years since Somchai Neelaphaijit disappeared; four long years of heartbreak for his family, four years of unanswered questions. </p>

<p>As we celebrate International Women&#39;s Day on March 8, Internews spotlights ten countries where women are playing a key role in their local media. </p>

<p>The new prime minister of Thailand has outraged many by refusing to admit that an infamous massacre ever occurred. In two separate interviews Samak Sundaravej claimed that only one person died on Oct. 6, 1976, when police and paramilitaries stormed Thammasat University, killing at least 46 and forcing thousands into hiding. He denied that he provoked the violence along with other rightists, saying that it is &quot;a dirty history.&quot; </p>

<p>Will the intellectuals and urban upper class dare to wake up to reality, or will they dream on?</p>

<p>In recent weeks Thailand&#39;s media has attentively reported on the arrest of some paramilitary police who are alleged to have abducted and framed tens, perhaps hundreds, of people. </p>

<p>Burma&#39;s referendum on a new constitution planned for May should be conducted in an atmosphere of freedom and respect for basic rights, and not as a hollow exercise in the military&#39;s sham political reform process, Human Rights Watch said today.</p>