<div>BANGKOK (22 January 2016) – The United Nations Human Rights Office for South-East Asia (OHCHR) urges the Thai military to drop all charges against 11 student activists arrested for violating a ban on political gatherings .</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Sirawit Seritiwat, a student activist with the New Democracy Movement, said he was apprehended by uniformed men near Thammasat University campus in the capital Bangkok late on Wednesday. </div>

<p>Activists calling for a probe into the Rajabhakti Park scandals have submitted complaints to the UN and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) while another well-known anti-junta activist said that he will sue authorities for violating basic rights. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Sirawit Serithiwat (aka. Ja New), a well-known anti-junta student activist, and other activists from New Democracy Movement, on Wednesday afternoon, 23 December 2015, submitted a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), accusing the authorities of violating human rights.</p>

<div> <div>Anti-coup activists on Saturday commemorated the 2006 military coup, arguably the event which triggered Thailand’s polarized political conflict, amid tight security in central Bangkok. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 19 September 2006, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, then Army Commander, staged a military coup d’état to topple then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, reasoning that Thaksin was allegedly involved in corruption and nepotism, interfered in independent state agencies and insulted the King. </div></div>

<div>Despite the risk of being sent to seven years in jail by the military court and harassments from the Thai junta, the 14 embattled anti junta activists, most of them university students, from the Neo Democracy Movement (NDM) still stand firm on their demand for democracy against the Thai military regime.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The 14 are:&nbsp;</div> <div>1 Rangsiman Rome</div> <div>2 Wason Setthasit</div> <div>3 Songtham Kaewpanpruk</div> <div>4 Phayu Boonsopon</div> <div>5 Apiwat Soontararak</div> <div>6 Rattapon Supsopon</div> <div>7 Supachai Phuklongploy</div> <div>8 Abhisit Suebnapa </div>

<div> <div> <div>At 5.30 pm on Friday police arrested 14 activists wanted on arrest warrants for anti-junta activities at their safe house, Suan Nguen Mee Ma, Charoen Krung, Bangkok.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The police took them to Phra Ratchawang Police Station for interrogation. </div></div></div>

<div>About 100 people gathered at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument on Thursday when a group of embattled activists from Bangkok and Khon Kaen awaited arrest by the police and rallied against the military regime amid tight security.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 25 June, 11 anti-junta student activists under the newly founded Neo Democracy Movement (NDM) protested against the military dictatorship at the Democracy Monument, Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Bangkok.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The rally began in the afternoon after the group left Suan Ngern Mee Ma, a place under the care of Sulak Sivaraks </div>