The Thanyaburi Provincial Court yesterday (8 November) dismissed a royal defamation charge filed against student activist Nutchanon Pairoj for a book of speeches given by protest leaders in 2020.

<p>Thailand should dismiss the case against 22 protest leaders charged with insulting the monarchy and a range of public order offences, and adhere to its international human rights obligations, the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) and TrialWatch Expert the Honourable Kevin Bell AM KC stated.</p>

<p>For the past 9 months, the Criminal Court has been refusing to issue summonses for documents requested by lawyers representing activists charged with royal defamation for the 19 September 2020 protest to be used as evidence, delaying the witness examination process.</p>

<p>Encapsulating hope and inspiration for a better Thailand, it was unprecedented in many ways. In the first episode of this report, here is a recap of the 19-20 September protest.</p>

<p>In their mastery of methods to halt the political momentum of student protests, the Thai authorities have turned to a most unexpected tactic: to make it as hard as possible for protesters to defecate by threatening toilet truck drivers not to come to the protest sites on 19 September.</p>

<p>The protesters&nbsp;are becoming better organized as they get help from public figures, celebrities and experts.&nbsp;But the police are just as sophisticated as they have come up with a new plan to deal with the protesters.&nbsp;Both sides are facing a tough fight in the hours to come.</p>

<p>Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has given a speech on nationwide TV discouraging people from joining protests in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and worsening the economy. In one week, the Thai government has launched several economic relief measures.</p>

<p>19 September is the day another large protest is planned in Thailand. The organizers say there may be 50,000-100,000 protesters gathered at Thammasat University&rsquo;s Tha Phra Chan Campus. However, the university administration has prohibited them from entering the campus, claiming the students will not follow its rules.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Police officers have searched the house where activist Jatupat &ldquo;Pai Dao Din&rdquo; Boonpattararaksa and his friends are staying and seized 17 banners to be used on 19 Sep.</p>