<p>Apiwat Kantong, vice minister of the Office of the Prime Minister, filed a complaint today (5 August) against human rights lawyer Anon Nampa accusing him of defaming the monarchy in his speech at the <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/8696">Harry Potter-themed protest</a> on Monday (3 August), during which he called for monarchy reform and open criticism of the crown.</p>

<p>A year or more ago, when the Asok-Sukhumwit junction was occupied by a PDRC reform-before-election mob, the site sported a banner supplied by the nearby campus of Srinakharinwirot University.&nbsp; They had obviously been told to put their superior education to use by explaining in English something of what the protests were about.</p> <p>Their sign said ‘Stop Corruptions!’</p> <p>One was tempted to scrawl underneath ‘And Start Learning Englishes!’</p>

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<p><span>King Bhumibol Marks 64 Years on the throne | &nbsp;EC regulations on the use of armoured vehicles and bulletproof vests | PDRC's final battle for an appointed "People's Government"</span></p> <p></p>

<div><img alt="" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5105/5785844398_c71867ff75.jpg" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Pheu Thai’s policies have been dismissed as ‘populism’, but elements of them can more properly be categorized as belonging to ‘Socialism of the 21^st&nbsp;Century’,&nbsp;a movement embraced by Latin American leaders such as&nbsp;Hugo Chávez of Venezuela&nbsp;and one with its own Wikipedia page for those interested.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>Netiwit Chotipatpaisal, a M.5 student who has led a national campaign against compulsory haircuts in school since last year, has rejected his nomination for a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) award, stating that he doubts whether the NHRC really takes the human rights issues seriously.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>

<p>With the mainstream media mostly giving the National Reform Committee a blank cheque in terms of soft PR and uncritical reporting of its activities, it has been alternative media outlets like prachatai.com that have voiced criticism. </p> <p>Two members of the reform committee - noted historian Nidhi Eoseewong and scholar-monk Venerable Phra Paisarn Visalo - recently came under fire on the news website.</p>

<p>At a dinner function last week, a senior public relations executive for former prime minister Anand Panyarachun's National Reform Committee, had a brief chat with this writer.</p> <p>In the chat, three interesting details came up. The female executive voiced concerns about the media's repeated &quot;mistake&quot; of calling the committee &quot;government-appointed&quot;. She also wondered why Matichon newspaper, known to be sympathetic to the red shirts, did not portray the committee in a positive light like other papers did.</p>