<p dir="ltr">The military court has denied bail for members of a Chiang Mai political clan accused of committing crimes against the state in letters criticising the junta-sponsored draft constitution.</p>

<div>The military in Chiang Mai has summoned six people and accused them of sedition without court approval, alleging that they were involved with the letters containing material criticizing the junta’s draft charter. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Wednesday, 27 July 2016, Maj Gen Kosol Pratum summoned six people to a military camp in the northern province of Chiang Mai. The six are on the military’s list of ten people allegedly involved with the letter campaign against the junta-sponsored draft charter. </div>

<p>The Thai junta leader issued an order to suspend public officials suspected of involvement in documents campaigning against the junta-sponsored draft constitution.</p> <p>The website of the Royal Gazette on Tuesday, 26 July 2016, published&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2559/E/164/10.PDF">the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Head’s Order No. 44/2016</a>.</p> <p>The order suspends any public officials and local public administrators allegedly involved in anti-draft constitution letters from their posts.</p>

<p>The Thai police have arrested a northerner suspected of sending thousands of anti-draft charter letters after the military detained his parents.</p> <p>Police officers from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) on Saturday afternoon, 23 July 2016, arrested Wisarut Khunnitisan, 38, from a condominium in Bangkok and flew him to the northern province of Chiang Mai.</p>

<p>The Thai authorities have searched the homes of leading anti-establishment red shirt figures in northern Thailand in the hunt for the persons who sent letters criticising the junta-sponsored draft charter.</p>

<p>Authorities have confiscated over 2,000 letters from anonymous senders containing information against the junta’s draft charter in the northern province of Chiang Mai while another 3,000 were found in Lampang a day earlier.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Soldiers and police officers in Chiang Mai intimidated a staff of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), asking whether he was distributing booklets against the junta-sponsored draft constitution or involving with Prachatai website.</p>

<div> <div>Police officers and soldiers have again confiscated ‘right to campaign’ balloons from pro-democracy activists in northern Thailand, threatening to prosecute the activists if they continue the campaign.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Sunday, 3 July 2016, over 10 police officers and soldiers confiscated balloons printed with the message “campaigning is not a crime” from activists of the Free Maejo for Democracy group, a pro-democracy student activist group in the northern province of Chiang Mai, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) <a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=851">repor </a></div></div>

<p>After a series of arrests and the detention of junta opponents, activists across the country have come up with new tactics to campaign for fair play in the August referendum. Instead of hosting seminars, handing out flyers, and marching, they are using more creative non-violent protest methods like balloons, dolls, and cartoon figures.&nbsp;</p> <p></p>

<p>The Civil Court has dismissed a case filed against the Defence Ministry, the Royal Thai Army and the Prime Minister's Office over the death of a Karen private who was allegedly tortured in a military base shortly before his death.</p>

<div> <div>A recent survey has shown that the majority of Thai people want the size and tasks of Thai military to be curtailed, and believe it should not have any responsibility other than protecting national sovereignty.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>People Poll Thailand has <a href="http://peoplepollthailand.com/poll/result/recent/70">published</a> the result of a survey on Thai military reform, revealing that more that 79 percent of respondents think that the size of the Thai military should be reduced, and only 11.9 percent think that the current size is appropriate.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div p> </div></div>

<p dir="ltr">The Thai military in the northern province of Chiang Mai summoned a pro-democracy academic and activists into a military camp.</p>