Police in full riot gear have used water cannon to disperse thousands of protesters gathered at the Pathumwan intersection, defying the ban on mass gatherings imposed during the severe state of emergency.

Following a request from Prachatai for the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to disclose information concerning the investigation into the cases of the victims of the Red Shirt protest crackdowns, the Official Information Commission has ordered the DSI to disclose the information.

On the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, our organizations call on the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to adequately investigate all cases of enforced disappearances in their respective countries, determine the fate or whereabouts of the victims, and ensure the victims’ families have effective access to justice and receive adequate reparations.

The Myanmar government must determine the fate or whereabouts of scores of Rohingya who remain missing nearly four years after the beginning of Myanmar government security forces’ “clearance operations” in northern Rakhine State, FIDH and its member organizations Odhikar and ALTSEAN-Burma urged today (27 August).

The binary thinking that places violent and nonviolent protests at opposite ends of a spectrum limits the possibilities of protest, according to a Chulalongkorn University political scientist, many movements have used both approaches simultaneously, although they may bear different political costs. While comparing red shirt and student protests, she suggested future protesters use a broad-based approach to attract broader support in bringing change.