By Harrison George |
<p>In January 2010, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjavija ordered the establishment of an Advisory Committee on National Security Cases Involving the Monarchy, with the responsibility of advising the police, DSI and ICT Ministry on the careful, appropriate and fair conduct of lèse majesté cases.</p>
By Tyrell Haberkorn |
<p>In a recent interview on <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/12/spanish_judge_baltasar_garzn_on_bin">Democracy Now</a> on 12 May 2011, Judge Baltasar Garzón talked with Amy Goodman about atrocity, terror, and the universal need for justice.</p>
By Jim Taylor |
<p>I am sure many have noticed that Sanam Luang has been closed for more than a year, surrounding by high corrugated iron fences? The truth is coming out now. Last time I was in Thailand a few months back one could see through earth and bricks being moved by army trucks and earth moving equipment at night time moving back and forth, from south to north; activities tightly confined and controlled by the military.</p>
By Thanapol Eawsakul |
<p>I have been involved in many lèse majesté cases with different outcomes and under different circumstances. My involvement has been as a defendant, a defense witness, a publisher, and as an organizer of discussions, and as someone who has campaigned against the use of lèse majesté. On Wednesday, 11 May, when Professor Somsak Jeamteerasakul goes to hear the charges brought against him, 11 May, it will mark a turning point for lèse majesté. This is the case for the following reasons:</p>
By Pipob Udomittipong |
<p>On Wednesday, May 11, 2011, throngs of supporters of the right to speak, including many so-called “Red Shirts”, will again lay siege to the Nag Lerng Police Station in downtown Bangkok. Another reminder of the packed room of the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University in late April, when a press conference was held by the Nitirat Group (http://www.enlightened-jurists.com/) and a lecturer who was facing intimidation and imminent legal actions for his exercise of the right to freedom expression.</p>
By Harrison George |
<p> In a dramatic late night speech to the nation, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that Thai Special Forces had killed The Evil One (TEO) in a daring and successful operation in Montenegro.</p>
By Lisa Gardner |
<p>In 2010, Thailand experienced a fifth consecutive yearly decline in press freedom, moving from 'Partly Free' to 'Not Free' in terms of press freedom, according to Freedom House.</p>
By Somyos Preuksakasemsuk |
<p>Here I sit in a cell behind the tight iron bars, or a “jail”. All my freedom lost, I am held in custody just by myself and am barred from communicating with the world. It causes me unprecedented and deepest grievance, physically and mentally.</p>
<p>If I were a criminal or a murderer who had caused someone to die, or had stolen from others, or had committed a grave immoral act, then I would have deserved such a punishment, as I had committed an offence or had caused trouble to others.</p>
By Article 112: Awareness Campaign |
<p>Since 19 September 2006, a large number of individuals have been directly and indirectly affected under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lèse majesté law”. Statistics from 2005 to 2009 reveal that there have been 547 lèse majesté cases altogether. 247 cases have reached a verdict. In April 2011 alone, this law has been used against Thai citizens in a wide number of occasions, as reported in the news. Here are the cases: </p>
By Harrison George |
<p> It is not clear of it was the result of a cock-up or a conspiracy, but the following bizarre newscast from the BBC seems to have come about after their reporter for wars and disasters, Orla Guerin, was unaccountably assigned to cover the royal wedding. At the same time, their palace correspondent, Nicholas Witchell, found himself in a flak jacket on the boat to the besieged Libyan city of Misrata.</p>
By Jim Taylor |
<p>There is a lot of talk about “fascism”, or a late modern expression “neo-fascism”; a word which carries loaded connotation in reference to an extreme right-wing politics. However, it is rarely used in the everyday language of resistance in Thailand; as Surachai Sae Dan told me, “fascism” was a historical moment in Thailand which some of us experienced in the post-war years. In particular we can consider the implications of Sarit’s coup of 1958 supported by the royalist/amaat regime which wanted to regain influence and power through the monarchy.</p>
By Article 112: Awareness Campaign |
<p> “Article 112: Awareness Campaign” is a group of individuals from different walks of life who are concerned with the Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code as a serious threat to rights, freedoms and democracy. Over the past 5 years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of those accused and prosecuted on charges of lese majeste. This undeniably represents seriousness of the problems with the law which, in order to find the solution, requires open public discussions and studies.</p>