The Appeal Court today (13 September) sentenced former Red Shirt protest guard Sombat Thongyoi to 4 years in prison on charges of royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act over 3 Facebook posts he made in 2020.

<p>As more people join the protest on bail rights, three more detainees were allowed bail after being in jail for months for taking part in political protests.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a new surge of detentions, six people are in jail in connection with the royal defamation law &ndash; five of them denied bail to contest the charges outside prison. A human rights lawyer said the move illustrates the authorities&rsquo; obsession with smothering any public criticism of the monarchy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sombat Thongyoi, a former Red Shirt protest guard, has been sentenced to 6 years in prison on charges of royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act over 3 Facebook posts he made in 2020.</p>

<p>Parit &lsquo;Penguin&rsquo; Chiwarak, a student activist who has been advocating monarchy reform, has received a police summons for violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code and the Computer Crime Act. A list from a police source shows charges against 11 more activists are expected to follow.</p>

<p>Thai military detained political dissidents associated with the anti-establishment red shirt and raided their houses&nbsp;together with Pheu Thai politicians in a campaign to crackdown on mafia. &nbsp;</p> <p>A combined military and police force on Thursday morning, 12 May 2016, raided at least a dozen of houses in the central provinces of Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao in a campaign called ‘Cleaning Pak-nam, Getting rid of Influential Figures’ to crackdown on mafia.</p>

<p>The Thai military have reportedly abducted a cameraman and another individual in the central province of Samut Prakan after attempting to break into the house of a Pheu Thai Party politician earlier this morning.</p>