<p>Jomtien Hospital and Bangkok Hospital Rayong have announced the dismissal of Dr Saravin Thongrong for &ldquo;inappropriate behaviour against the rules of the company&rdquo; after his comments on the late King Bhumibol surfaced on the internet. Right-wing activists have called for his license to be revoked and for him to be prosecuted under the lèse-majesté law. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Sirichai (last name withheld), a freshman at the Puey Ungphakorn School of Development Studies, Thammasat University, and a member of the student activist group United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, was arrested during Wednesday night (13 January) on a royal defamation charge under Section 112.</p>

<p>3 more people have been charged with royal defamation under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, bringing the number of people facing Section 112 charges to 40.</p>

<p>On 22 December, the Criminal Court found Patnaree Chankij, the mother of pro-democracy activist Sirawith Seritiwat, not guilty of charges under the lèse majesté law and the Computer Crime Act after she responded in a chat with her son&rsquo;s friend with &lsquo;cha&rsquo; (yes).</p>

<p>Amnesty International has issued an <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa39/3470/2020/en/">appeal</a> for its members worldwide to send letters to Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha calling for an end to criminal prosecutions of peaceful protestors.</p>

<p>Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26621&amp;LangID=E">statement</a> today (18 December) raising concerns over the Thai authorities charging protesters with charges under Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, Thailand&#39;s lèse majesté law.</p>

<p>Two students facing charges under the lèse majesté law for participating in a &ldquo;fashion show&rdquo; during a pro-democracy protest on Silom Road went to hear the charges yesterday (17 December), while members of the We Volunteer protest guard group and other protesters gathered outside the police station in Thai traditional dress to show support.</p>

<p>The number of people involved in recent protests who have been charged under Section 112 continues to rise as 31 people have now been summoned, one of whom is 16 years old. Meanwhile, the public prosecutor in Nakhon Phanom has issued a prosecution order in the case of a man accused of royal defamation for a Facebook post made in 2016.</p>

<p>A group of alumni and current students from the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, has issued an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nisitchulaparty/posts/196286588789050">open letter</a> to King Vajiralongkorn, calling for the repeal of Thailand&rsquo;s lèse majesté law, with which at least 24 people involved with recent protests have been charged in the past two weeks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Phrae Democracy Lovers network has reported that police got from the Vice Principal of Nareerat School the names of students involved in a display of banners and card images promoting democracy and the abolition of the lèse majesté law at the school&rsquo;s sports day on 11 December.</p>

<p>17 activists have received summonses to hear lèse majesté charges during the past week, since Parit Chiwarak received a summons on 24 November. The law has not been used in the past two years.&nbsp;</p>