<p dir="ltr">Despite a growing deficit, Thailand’s junta-appointed parliament has voted unanimously in favour of a draft government budget that allocates an extra 8.8 billion baht to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2018.</p> <p></p>

<p dir="ltr">Not even a month after the summary killing of Chaiyapoom Pasae, a 17-year-old Lahu activist, on 17 March 2017, paramilitary officers and soldiers shot dead two insurgent suspects in the restive Deep South. The authorities claimed that the two resisted arrest and exchanged gunfire with the officers. However, the sister of one of the slain insurgent suspects said they were unarmed and shot point blank after they were asked to step out of their car.</p>

<div>The junta’s lawmakers has proposed a new version of the controversial Computer Crimes Bill which will allow the authorities to block online content directly and pressure service providers to censor themselves.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5574/31254204601_32eecce58a_o.png" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5792/31254204301_3d9178e9de_b.jpg" /></div> <p> </p>

<p dir="ltr">Despite talk from the junta about land reform in the form of a progressive land tax to tackle disparity and increase public revenue, research ironically shows that the Thai military is one of the country’s biggest landowners.</p> <p></p>