<p>Thai authorities should immediately provide necessary medical treatment to Thanet Anantawong, a critic of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/thailand">Thailand</a>’s junta who was arrested in his sickbed and has been held in military custody since December 13, 2015, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have accused him of committing sedition and computer crimes for sharing Facebook commentary about army corruption scandals.<br /></p>

<p>Plainclothes officers have reportedly arrested from his sickbed one of the activists calling for a probe into the Rajabhakti Park corruption scandals to face lèse majesté and sedition charges. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>At about 12:10 pm on Sunday, 13 December 2015, two officers in plainclothes reportedly arrested Thanet A., a 25-year-old activist who was one of more than 30 activists detained last week en route to Rajabhakti Park, a royal theme park constructed by the military and plagued with corruption allegations.</p>

<p>Thai authorities should immediately disclose the whereabouts of Thanakorn Siripaiboon, a critic of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/thailand" target="_blank">Thailand</a>’s junta who has reportedly been held in secret military custody since December 8, 2015, Human Rights Watch said today.<br /></p>

<p>Military officers detained a 21-year-old activist briefly in relation to his earlier visit to Rajabhakti Park with other activists and forced him to sign an agreement not the engage in any political activity.</p> <p>Three military officers and a policeman at around 9:30 am on Thursday, 10 December 2015, arrested Chatmongkon Wanli, a young activist who was among more than a dozen detained en route to Rajabhakti Park on Monday.</p> <p>According to Supaluck, the activist’s mother, the officers told her that they would detain him only for a brief discussion.</p>

<p>After the Thai junta’s legal office filed lèse majesté and sedition charges against a factory worker for pressing ‘like’ on Facebook, the police have announced that hundreds more will be charged with lèse majesté for similar actions. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>According to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1449800168">Matichon Online</a>, police investigators are now gathering information and evidence to press charges against 20 administrators of an anti-establishment red-shirt Facebook group called ‘the National Red Shirts Association’.</p>

<p>A 27-year-old factory worker detained for posting infographics about Rajabhakti Park corruption scandal received additional lèse majesté and sedition charges for liking ‘inappropriate’ Facebook pictures.</p>

<p>Thai authorities should promptly and impartially investigate the alleged torture of suspects in military detention, Human Rights Watch said today. To prevent further abuses, the government should immediately transfer all civilians detained at military facilities to officially recognized civilian places of detention.</p>

<p>Thai academics have kicked off an online campaign, demanding that the junta ‘unconditionally’ end the persecution of political dissidents.</p>

<p>As the latest corruption scandal shows, the Thai junta hasn’t rid the country of dodgy politicians; it’s simply taken their place.</p> <p>Anti-corruption has been a poster child of anti-democratic groups in Thailand since 2005.</p> <p>The People’s Alliance for Democracy (2005-2008), the Council for National Security (2006-2007), the People’s Democratic Reform Council (2013-2014), and the National Council of Peace and Order (2014–present) have all used it to drive their agenda.</p>

<p>Media experts have pointed out that the military regime uses the 2008 broadcasting law and a broadcasting regulatory agency as a media control apparatus. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>According to&nbsp;<a href="http://ilaw.or.th/node/3941">iLaw</a>, the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the Professionals of Broadcasting Council (PBC) (Thailand) on 18 November 2015 co-organised a seminar titled ‘Law vs. Production of TV Programmes’ at the Royal Thai Army Club in Bangkok.</p>

<div>On 11 November 2015, Changpuak police station, Chiang Mai, issued summons for a group of six academics from various universities. </div>

<p dir="ltr">The Thai Consulate in Chicago, US, reportedly attempted to prevent overseas Thai students to attend a lecture of a well known anti-junta figure.</p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pavinchachavalpongpun/posts/710714485696984?pnref=story">Pavin Chachavalpongpun</a>, a fierce critic of the Thai junta who is a Thai Associate Professor at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan, the Thai Consulate in Chicago, US, last week attempted to prevent Thai students from attending his lecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.</p>