A 30-year-old man has been found guilty of royal defamation and given a suspended sentence of 1 year and 6 months for a post criticising Covid-19 vaccine production by the Siam Bioscience company.

A 30-year-old man has been indicted under the royal defamation law over his criticism of Siam Bioscience’s COVID-19 vaccine production in 2021, allegedly causing damage the highly respected monarchy.

Activist Sopon Surariddhidhamrong has been indicted on a royal defamation charge for a speech given during a Labour Day protest on 1 May 2022 about access to Covid-19 vaccines, after the public prosecutor ruled that he insulted Princess Sirivannavari, who the public prosecutor sees as the heir to the throne.

<p>Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee, Chulalongkorn&nbsp;University&#39;s professor of political science, portrays an insightful outlook of how Thailand responded to Covid-19 from day one in parallel with many various pretexts and dimensions across the globe.</p>

<p>Political leaders and corporate titans put profit and power ahead of people, betraying promises for fair recovery from pandemic, stated in the annual report of Amnesty International.</p>

<p>A protest on Saturday (7 August) against the government&rsquo;s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic was met with water cannon trucks and crowd control police armed with rubber bullets and tear gas, despite the target location being switched.</p>

<p>As Thailand battles its deadliest outbreak of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, Amnesty International calls on the Thai authorities to develop and implement an inclusive vaccine roll-out plan that prioritizes at-risk and marginalized individuals, with specific consideration given to groups that have faced historic discrimination, such as prisoners, refugees and undocumented migrant workers.</p>

<p>Three reporters were injured during the protest on Sunday (18 July), after being hit with rubber bullets, despite wearing visible press armbands and ID cards.</p>

<p>Activist Shinawat Chankrajang and another protester were arrested in front of the Ministry of Public Health on Friday (16 July) during a protest over the Covid-19 vaccination programme, while two other protesters and one police officer were injured.</p>

<p>U Aung Thien, 43, a hired boatman from Dawei, died in Bangkok&rsquo;s Wat Phai Tan community on 28 June. The cause of death is still under examination, amid concern in this multinational community over the lack of medical assistance, Covid-19 testing and state relief which they have not been able to access.</p>

<p>As vaccinations around the country lag behind targets, questions are being asked about queue-jumping in Nakhon Ratchasima, Bangkok and Samut Prakan.</p>

<p>Conflict and historical mistrust between the Malay Muslim in Thailand&rsquo;s southernmost border provinces (Patani)&nbsp;and the Thai State have taken their toll on the government&rsquo;s effort to carry out Covid-19 vaccinations, said on 4 June by Artef Sohko, President of The Patani, a political action group advocating rights to self-determination for the people living in this conflict-affected region bordering Malaysia.</p>