<p>Villagers on Thailand’s northern border have called on state authorities to stop the expropriation of land that they have been using while a local official said that it is being done under orders from the junta. &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>The Thai junta leader has invoked his authority under the Interim Constitution to put on hold the process of selecting new members of a law reform agency, saying that the upcoming constitution is already meant to reform the country.</p> <p>On Wednesday, 15 July 2015, the junta’s National Council of Peace and Order (NCPO) issued Order No. 20/2015 to stop the process of selecting new committee chairs of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.prachatai.org/english/taxonomy/term/2521/all">Law Reform Commission of Thailand (LRCT)</a>, an independent state agency which promotes legal reforms.</p>

<p>A junta representative said that the military took no part in the arrest of the 14 anti-junta activists and dismissed allegations of intimidating villagers who support the activists. &nbsp;</p> <p>On Wednesday, 8 July 2015, the sub-committee on civil and political rights of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC) held a meeting to investigate the arrest of the 14 embattled anti-junta student activists.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1436266628">Khaosod English</a>:&nbsp;The secretary-general of Thailand's ruling military junta has urged Thais living abroad to explain the reasons behind the May 2014 coup d'etat to foreigners.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The Thai broadcasting authorities warned a TV station over broadcasting a program on the Deep South peace talk, saying that the program could lead to conflict and confusion.</p>

<p>The 14 embattled anti-junta activists were reunited with their families after nearly two weeks of detention. However, they still face charges.</p> <p>At around 5:30 am on Wednesday, 8 July 2015, prison staff of Bangkok Remand Prison freed the 14 embattled anti-junta activists after the Bangkok Military Court yesterday rejected a custody petition against them.</p>

<p>The Thai military court has rejected a custody request concerning the 14 anti-junta activists on one of their charges. However, they still have to face trial.</p> <p>At about 11:30 Tuesday, 7 July 2015, the Thai military court rejected a police custody petition to detain the 14 embattled anti-junta activists, who have been in custody since 26 June 2015. &nbsp;</p>

<p>International organizations calling for the release of the 14 anti-junta activists do not understand the Thai political context of the arrests, said a junta spokesman.</p> <p>Maj Gen Weerachon Sukontapatipak, spokesman for the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), stated that the government understands the role of international organizations and does not have a problem with the students’ way of thinking.</p>

<p>The 14 embattled anti-junta activists have requested postponement of pre-trial interrogation while one of the group says that she only exercised her rights as a citizen and refused to acknowledge the junta’s authority.</p>

<p><em>Shortly after the one-year anniversary of the military coup on 22 May, 14 anti-junta activists were arrested for their peaceful gatherings. Since then, different groups in Thai society have shown their support for or opposition to the jailed activists’ civil disobedience.The 14 activists, mostly students, are members of the New Democracy Movement (NDM).&nbsp;</em></p> <p></p>