<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-33531540-7d2c-9933-2060-2c511739b6c7">Press freedom in Thailand has fallen on the Reporters Without Borders index from a ranking of 130 in 2014 to 134 in 2015. Thailand still remains the second best among the ten members of the ASEAN.</span></p>

<p><a href="http://www.khaosodenglish.com/index.php">Khaosod English:</a> &nbsp;A spokesperson for Thailand's military junta explained to a group of foreign dignitaries today that the Kingdom's lese majeste law is needed to protect the "feelings" of the Thai people.</p>

<div>7 February 2015 -- Thai authorities must immediately cancel plans to grant the military enhanced powers to detain civilians for several months without charge or trial, Amnesty International said today.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The National Legislative Assembly, a body appointed by the military which seized power in a coup in May 2014, will later this month consider an amendment to the Statute of the Military Court Act, which would grant military commanders powers to detain civilians for up to 84 days.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“It is deeply worrying that the Thai military authorities a </div>

<div><a href="http://www.khaosodenglish.com/">Khaodsod English</a> : A former Pheu Thai Party MP has been held in an army camp and denied communication with the outside world for three days, a military officer confirmed.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The news emerged on Friday after close aides to Ruangkrai Leekijwattana told the press that the politician had not been seen or heard from since he was detained by soldiers on 3 February.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>A senior military officer confirmed that Ruengkrai is being held at 11th Army District headquarters in Bangkok for "attitude adjustment." </div>

<div> <div>The junta leader has urged people to report lèse majesté cases and warned that he will use legal measures against lèse majesté and anti-junta political dissent. Meanwhile, the Justice Minister stepped up lèse majesté searches overseas. </div></div>

<div> <div>A group of anti-coup activists produced a music video mocking the junta. It said it is aiming at breaking fear created by the military regime. Resistant Citizen, a group composed of activists, academics, human rights workers and lawyers, on Thursday released a music video which makes fun of the military power and the unpromising general election.&nbsp;</div> </div>

<p><img alt="" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/16268465339_f280deeb17_c.jpg" /></p> <p><a href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/16268465339_f280deeb17_b.jpg">Bigger image</a></p>

<p>(Tokyo, February 6, 2015) – Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should press Thailand’s junta leader to improve human rights and restore democratic civilian rule, Human Rights Watch said today.<br /><br />Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who chairs the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta that staged a military coup in May 2014, is scheduled to travel to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hrw.org/asia/japan" target="_blank">Japan</a>&nbsp;from February 8 to 10, 2015. According to his office, Prayuth will meet Abe to seek to boost Japanese investment in Thailand.<br /></p>

<div>The military surrounded a village in southern Thailand and told landless villagers to leave a disputed area while threatening a villager not to take pictures of the event.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>According to Protection International (PI), at about 5:30 pm on Tuesday five military men came to Phoemsap Community of Chai Buri District in the southern province of Surat Thani and ordered the landless villagers to leave the area.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The military also reportedly threatened a villager with arrest and interrogation at a military camp if he took pictures of the military </div>

<div><em>Scores of proposed bills threaten to compound dismantling of human rights protections in post-coup Thailand, including undermining the National Human Rights Commission and other institutions</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>JAKARTA -- Thailand’s military-appointed institutions have zero democratic legitimacy and should immediately desist from passing new laws and legislation, much of which has serious human rights implications, lawmakers from across Southeast Asia said today.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“The military-appointed, coup-installed legislature has no legitimacy to act on beha </div>

<p>(New York,&nbsp;<span data-term="goog_244560936" tabindex="0">February 4, 2015</span>) –&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hrw.org/thailand" target="_blank">Thailand</a>’s military-installed Constitution Drafting Committee should scrap a proposal to merge the national human rights commission with the ombudsman’s office, Human Rights Watch said today. The military-appointed constitution drafters’ plan would gut the national human rights agency and pave the way for further repression.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3eb0ad1c-5239-cf60-83af-afc1526f2822">Thai police last week arrested six people who were allegedly part of a criminal organization defaming the monarchy on the internet. The group is allegedly led by a self-exiled red-shirt named “Banpodj,” with support of a financier.&nbsp;</span></p>