<p><em>Keep Commitment to Hold Military Accountable for 2010 Violence</em></p> <p>(New York, August 23, 2012) &ndash; The Thai government should order the army commander-in-chief to cease interfering in the criminal investigations of the <a href="http://www.hrw.org/features/thailand-2010-red-shirt-protests-and-government-crackdown">2010 political violence</a>, Human Rights Watch said today. The army chief, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, should also stop trying to intimidate critics by filing criminal defamation cases, Human Rights Watch said.</p>

<p><em>Labor Minister&rsquo;s Proposal Won&rsquo;t Reduce Human Trafficking</em></p> <p>(New York, July 6, 2012) &ndash; Thailand&rsquo;s government should scrap the labor minister&rsquo;s proposed regulation to deport migrant workers who become pregnant, Human Rights Watch said today. The proposal discriminates against women workers and would not advance the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra&rsquo;s stated aim of reducing human trafficking.</p>

<p>Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Dignity International, and Article 19 welcome the first official consultation between ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and civil society organisations (CSOs) on the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), which is due to take place in Kuala Lumpur on June 22, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.</p>

<p><em>Children Among Those Facing Forced Return on World Refugee Day</em></p> <p>(New York, June 20, 2012) &ndash; The government of <a href="http://www.hrw.org/asia/bangladesh">Bangladesh </a>should stop forcibly returning ethnic Rohingya fleeing sectarian violence back to <a href="http://www.hrw.org/burma">Burma</a>, Human Rights Watch said today. At least 18 Rohingya asylum seekers, including three young children, are in immediate danger of being forcibly returned to Burma on World Refugee Day, June 20.</p>

<p><em>Ensure Prompt Access to International Media, Aid Workers</em></p> <p>(New York, June 12, 2012) &ndash; The government of Burma should take all necessary steps to protect communities at risk in Arakan State after violence between Buddhists and Muslims in western Burma left an unknown number dead, Human Rights Watch said today. The government has taken inadequate steps to stop sectarian-violence between Arakan Buddhists and ethnic Rohingya Muslims, or to bring those responsible to justice.</p>

<p><em>Web Manager Convicted for Failing to Remove Lese Majeste Content</em></p> <p>(New York, May 30, 2012) &ndash; The conviction of a prominent website manager on computer crimes charges highlights the Thai government&rsquo;s growing misuse of laws intended to protect the monarchy, Human Rights Watch said today. Imposing a prison sentence adds to the climate of fear and self-censorship in Thailand&rsquo;s media, Human Rights Watch said.</p>

<p><em>Safeguards Needed Before Allowing Investment, Financial Services </em></p> <p>(Washington, DC, May 15, 2012) &ndash; The US government should not ease sanctions on business activities in Burma until adequate safeguards are in place to prevent new investment from fueling human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. A US presidential order imposing a ban on investment and financial services in Burma is scheduled to expire on May 20, 2012, unless it is renewed or revised.</p>

<p><em>Victims Would Bear Brunt of Proposed Amnesty</em></p> <p>(Bangkok, May 15, 2012) &ndash; The Thai government has not arrested or charged a single soldier or official for any of the scores of deaths and hundreds of injuries during the political violence in Bangkok two years ago, Human Rights Watch said today. The Thai government should withdraw an amnesty bill submitted to parliament that would shield all those involved in abuses during the 2010 violence from prosecution, Human Rights Watch said.</p>

<p><em>There remain hundreds of prisoners the government denies are political.</em></p> <p>In Burma this week, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged foreign countries to lift sanctions. At the same time, it was wise of him to keep pushing Burma to release its remaining political prisoners. The fate of these wrongfully imprisoned people, too often overlooked as we celebrate those who have been released, can tell us much about the Burmese government's intentions with regard to reform.</p>

<p><em>Free Speech of Online Media on Trial</em></p> <p>(New York, April 24, 2012) &ndash; The trial of an internet service provider on lese majeste charges puts Thailand&rsquo;s web moderators at risk of long prison terms, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 30, 2012, the Bangkok Criminal Court will issue a verdict on charges of lese majeste &ndash; insulting the monarchy &ndash; against Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the web-board manager of the online news portal Prachatai.</p>

<p>This is part two of my recent interview with leading Thai historian and academic, the former student leader, Dr. Thongchai Winichakul. Part one can be found <a href="http://bit.ly/HfEW2D">here</a>.</p>

<p><em>Failure to Prosecute Undermines Reconciliation</em></p> <p>(New York, April 10, 2012) &ndash; The Thai government&rsquo;s new &ldquo;political reconciliation&rdquo; proposals will undermine justice by giving immunity to those responsible for human rights abuses during bloody confrontations in Bangkok in 2010, Human Rights Watch said today.</p>