<p><span>(BANGKOK,&nbsp; 16&nbsp; APRIL&nbsp; 2015)&nbsp; -&nbsp; The&nbsp; United Nations Human Rights Office for&nbsp;</span><span>South-East Asia&nbsp; (OHCHR) reiterated concerns about the lack of progress in</span><br /><span>the&nbsp; &nbsp;investigation&nbsp; &nbsp;on&nbsp; &nbsp;the&nbsp; &nbsp;enforced&nbsp; disappearance&nbsp; of&nbsp; Mr.&nbsp; Pholachi&nbsp;</span><span p> </span></p>

<p>(New York, April 4, 2015) – Thai military authorities should immediately confirm the location of 17 student activists who were arbitrarily arrested on April 2, 2015, in Thailand’s southern Narathiwat province, Human Rights Watch said today. The activists should be freed unless they have been charged by a judge with a credible offense.<br /></p>

<p>(New York, March 18, 2015) – The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hrw.org/thailand" target="_blank">Thai</a>&nbsp;military’s warrantless arrest and secret detention of a witness to alleged army crimes raise grave concerns of a politically motivated prosecution, Human Rights Watch said today. Holding the suspect incommunicado for six days heightened the risk of torture and other ill treatment.<br /></p>

<p>A new ICJ report criticizes the Thai Government’s failure to take the steps necessary to establish the fate and whereabouts of missing lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, saying it illustrates the challenges of achieving justice in cases of serious human violations in Thailand.</p> <p>In the report, <em>Ten Years Without Truth: Somchai Neelapaijit and Enforced Disappearances in Thailand,</em> the ICJ documents the tortuous legal history of the case.</p>

<p>A civil society organisation has urged police to step up measures to investigate the disappearance of a Karen human rights defender, pointing out that the case is being neglected.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/crcfpage">Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF)</a>, a civil society organisation which promotes and monitors human rights in Thailand, on Wednesday submitted a letter to Police Region 7 in order to urge the police to step up efforts in investigating the disappearance of Pollachi Rakchongcharoen, aka Billy, a Karen human rights activist who disappeared on 17 April 2014.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b4e55eca-d90b-a289-4b97-7ed5acd251b8">The Appeal Court has dismissed a request to hold an emergency trial to find ‘Billy’, a Karen human rights activist who disappeared in April 2014, citing lack of evidence.</span></p>

<div> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b104fa98-391e-be25-1ca2-d0b82806f045">Amnesty International &nbsp;(AI) Thailand on Thursday announced the 2014 human rights media awards for the Thai media. Prachatai English’s news story received an honourable mention in the online media category.&nbsp;</span></p> </div>

<div>Throughout Thai history, state officials, especially police and army officers, who perpetrated torture and enforced disappearances, have never been punished and have never admitted their crimes. This year a bill against the 2 crimes was completed which has been praised by experts. However, under the military junta regime, which itself is a threat to human rights, one must be very sceptical about the bill really being passed into law.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>(New York, October 25, 2014) – The Thai government has yet to bring to justice police and military personnel responsible for the deaths of scores of protesters in Tak Bai in southern&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hrw.org/asia/thailand" target="_blank">Thailand&nbsp;</a>in 2004, Human Rights Watch said today.</p>

<div>Six months after activist Pholachi Rakchongcharoen, also known as “Billy”, is believed to have been the victim of enforced disappearance in Kaengkrachan National Park, western Thailand, Amnesty International renews calls on authorities to establish the truth about his fate and whereabouts as a matter of urgency.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The organization also urges authorities to ensure all necessary measures are taken to ensure anyone suspected of responsibility for his suspected enforced disappearance is brought to justice.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>It is feared that Billy, 30, a Kare </div>

<div>23 September 2014</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Lao government should share all information on the investigation into the abduction of Sombath Somphone with family members and independent parties, ending its deceptive game of hiding behind national sovereignty to excuse it from engaging in a sincere conversation regarding the investigation into his disappearance, Southeast Asian lawmakers said today.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“The Lao authorities have erected a brick wall of silence on this investigation, so much so that the only intelligent conclusion is that </div>