<div>Political scientists, legal experts, academics, the media, and the general public should all unanimously declare that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s use of Article 44 and its other orders which conflict with freedom of expression are a conflict within the junta’s own structure of governance, which has become the condition for creating conflict between the government and the people and the use of law that is self-contradictory and confusing.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The internal conflict in the system of governance is that the junta has two competing types of power. </div>

<p>They are a staple of social media.</p> <p>The latest that I received warned against a ‘new’ scam when you check into a hotel.&nbsp; You’ve handed your credit card to the reception desk who take from it a deposit against which they will debit any extra charges for wildly overpriced miniature booze in the minibar or the laundry fee for your unmentionables.&nbsp; You get your card back and go to your room.</p>

<div><em>Before the intensification of Southern Thailand’s long-running insurgency in the early 2000s, the region, (known as Patani) lacked a developed art scene, and the conflict which erupted in 2004 seemed to have devastated artistic creation among the local population. However, in the middle of the endless armed conflict, a new generation of artists has emerged in the region, struggling to seek out their identity/the region’s real identity through the creation of artwork.</em></div> <p></p>

<div> <div> <div><em>A story about the family of a Buddhist Thai woman killed by a motorcycle bomb in Yala market on 22 Jan. A group of Deep South women activists have proposed measures to make markets a safe space for everybody.&nbsp;</em></div> </div> </div>

<p>To judge from the cracks and potholes, the soi hasn’t been resurfaced in decades.&nbsp; Maybe not since the emergency makeover when a daily motorcade of Mercs began transporting royal offspring to the school nearby.</p>

<div>On Monday the Ratchaburi Court acquitted a Prachatai journalist and the other four activists for campaigning against the junta's charter.&nbsp;After the verdict, many people congratulated Prachatai and said that the fact that the court dismissed the case is a victory of the pro-democracy movement. I however disagree. The verdict is actually a bad sign for freedom of expression in Thailand.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<div>A full account of Chanoknak Ruamsap, the latest lèse majesté suspect on the moment she learned about the charge and why she decided to flee Thailand.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<div>Sulak Sivaraksa, a renowned Thai social critic, reflects on his latest&nbsp;lèse majesté case and his experience petitioning to the King.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<div> <div>Former Prime Minister-turned-fugitive Yingluck Shinawatra was spotted, on a London high street on January 4, for the first time since she fled Thailand prior to the reading of her verdict. Yingluck was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison for mishandling a rice subsidy scheme which allegedly cost Thailand at least $8bn.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>Her recent appearance in public immediately lifted morale among some of the red shirts in Thailand. </div></div>

<div>A story about the family of a young Muslim Malay man killed by a motorcycle bomb in Yala market by Soraya Jamjuree and Kamnoeng Chamnankit</div> <p></p>

<div>“Democracy without dharma is a Gross Domestic Product catastrophe,” a well-known monk just recently posted on their Facebook page. Many people probably wonder, “What about dictatorship?” No matter which, a system of government that allows one individual or group to use absolute power without scrutiny or consultation from anyone would need dharma or a deterring tool much more than democracy. </div>

<div> <div>If you asked me if the decision by a military prosecutor to drop the lèse majesté charge against renowned historian and social critic Sulak Sivaraksa is good news, I’d say, ‘yes it’s good that the old man does not have to spend time in jail’. But if you asked me if this is a good sign for the state of freedom of expression in Thailand, I’d say ‘no, it’s not.’&nbsp;</div> </div>