Activists led by the Democracy Restoration Group have submitted a letter to participants at the third regional meeting of the Judicial Integrity Network in ASEAN of the United Nations Development Fund. The letter highlights concerns related to political prosecutions involving the Thai government and the lack of fairness in the Thai judicial process. 

The group also advocates for international involvement to ensure the independence of the Thai court system. They emphasise that recently, 35 people have been detained for political reasons. Tomas Kvedaras accepted the letter on behalf of the UNDP.

The letter outlines issues surrounding the judicial process in Thailand, underscoring the risk that Thai citizens face of having their human rights violated within the Thai court system. Numerous individuals have been arrested, accused, and detained.

The group asserts that the Thai courts lack impartiality in their judgments and are not genuinely independent, citing the case of Judge Khanakorn Pianchana, who attempted to draw attention to the issue of improper interference in a criminal case by attempting suicide after issuing a public letter in 2019. Khanakorn later succeeded in taking his own life on 7 March  2020. 

The international community is called on to encourage Thai judges to work independently, free from corruption and external influence. This would enable all Thai citizens to engage fairly in the Thai courts.

"When there are no independent judges, Thailand will never truly be free," they emphasise in the letter.