By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation |
<p>A new group of royalist academics from eight universities issued a manifesto yesterday attacking those who want to amend or abolish the lese majeste law and vowing to fight what they called the monopoly of Thai politics by a "capitalist political party".</p>
<p>A group of officials at the National Human Rights Commission have expressed discontent in a letter sent to the media over the fact that two members of the Nitirat group were invited to give lectures in the orientation for new recruits on 13-14 Jan.</p>
<p>Nitirat, a group of law academics at Thammasat University, has announced two activities to be held in January next year to campaign for amendments to Article 112 and the nullification of the 2006 coup’s legal effects, as has been proposed to the public by the group.</p>
By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation |
<p>Two weeks ago, on September 19, as Thailand marked the fifth anniversary of the coup that ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power, a group of academics, known as the Nitirat group, called a press conference to call for the expunging of all records and judicial decisions originating from the 2006 coup, the drafting of a new charter, as well as the amendment of the controversial lese majeste law by making it less draconian.</p>
<p>A group of artists in Chiang Mai has gone on hunger strike for 112 hours in a public bid to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code, or the lèse majesté law. </p>
<p>On 22 May, Niphit Intarasombat, Minister of Culture and the Democrat Party candidate for Phatthalung, said, in response to a public call to amend the law made by a group of writers last week, that he did not see any problem with the lèse majesté law and its enforcement.</p>
<p>On 18 May, the National Human Rights Commission’s Subcommittee on Civil and Political Rights held a discussion on the lèse majesté law, attended by academics, activists and individuals affected by the law.</p>
<p>On 19 May, groups of red shirts under the banner of Democracy Networks held activities to mark the first anniversary of the crackdown in front of Lumpini Park, performing traditional rituals to curse the masterminds who ordered the killings, and campaigning for the release of political prisoners and the repeal of the lèse majesté law.</p>
<p>Somsak Jeamteerasakul reported to the police with many supporters and reporters present at the police station. He denied the lèse majesté charge and said that he will fight the case. An air force officer who faces a similar charge was also there to give him moral support.</p>
<p>Somsak Jeamtheerasakul, a staunch critic of the monarchy, has been threatened with lese majeste charges. He and other academics will hold a press conference tomorrow at Thammasat University.</p>
By Nitirassadorn |
<p>It is recognized that human beings, regardless of origin or status, should have human dignity, liberty, and equality, and show reasonableness and tolerance toward differing opinions, and that in a democratic society, the right to freedom of expression is indispensable and any restriction of this freedom must be in proportion to necessity and not of a form that conflicts with the essence of this freedom.</p>
<p class="rteleft">On 27 Mar, immediately after the public forum held by Nitirassadorn, the group of Thammasat law lecturers, to propose amendments to the lèse majesté law, a group of activists launched a public awareness campaign to call on Thai society to open up discussion and debate about the law.</p>