On International Women’s Day, police officers pressed charges against seven female villagers for opposing a local gold mine.    On 8 March 2016, officers from Wang Saphung Police Station pressed charges against seven villagers for protesting against a local gold mine. The seven were accused of threatening officials and violating NCPO Head Order 3/2015, the junta’s ban on public gatherings of five people or more.

As a Canadian Masters student who is researching development practices in Thailand, and works at Prachatai, I often hear and read about conflicts between authorities and activists. After observing interactions between the two groups this past weekend, from the explanations given by the authorities for their interventions at least, it seems like they are there just to help out! Let me explain.    There is an activist group called the New E-saan Movement, which is located in the northeast region of Isaan, in Thailand.