Amnesty International demands junta end crackdown on peaceful protests

[webfact]

Amnesty International demands junta end crackdown on peaceful protests

By The Nation

 

 

The Thai military government must end its far-reaching crackdown on peaceful demonstrations, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, as nine activists are facing criminal proceedings.

 

James Gomez, Amnesty International’s director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said Thailand’s military rulers were not only continuing to tie up hundreds of real or perceived critics with long-running criminal proceedings, but had escalated a crackdown on peaceful dissent in recent months.

 

“Authorities must honour their promise to lift the absurd and unjustifiable restrictions they have now been imposing for almost four years, ostensibly in the name of national security,” said Gomez in a statement released today.

 

Meanwhile, the Appeal Court today postponed delivering its verdict for the third time in the case of law student and Amnesty International Thailand board member Apichart Pongsawat, who faces a potential six months in prison and a fine for violating the junta’s blanket ban on “political” gatherings of five or more people.

 

Apichart was arrested on May 23, 2014 – the day after the military coup d’état – for holding a sign in central Bangkok that read: “I will not accept barbaric power.”

 

The court postponed its verdict to May 31, due to “complications” in the case, according to Apichart, who went to hear the verdict this morning.

 

In December 2016, Pathumwan District Court of Bangkok’s Court of First Instance sentenced Apichart to two months in prison with the jail term suspended for one year.

 

Meanwhile, eight social activists under the “People Go Network” will report to police in Pathum Thani province today to learn whether they will be charged under the ban on protests. The eight took part in a peaceful march that began in Bangkok on January 18 in support of a range of economic, social and civil rights.

 

“Apichart has become a symbol of peaceful resistance against military rule,” Gomez said. “He and others charged for peaceful protest have done nothing wrong and all criminal proceedings against them should be dropped immediately and convictions expunged.”

 

On Tuesday, authorities announced that they would file charges of sedition – under a law allowing for a maximum of seven years’ imprisonment – and unlawful assembly on activists and a human rights lawyer. They had all protested the military government’s likely postponement of general elections from November this year to February 2019.

 

“The Thai military has made repeated promises to respect human rights and allow peaceful criticism since seizing power, but has completely failed to turn these into reality,” Gomez said.

 

“The international community must push the authorities to ensure that there is concrete action to end these long-running violations.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30337599

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-31

[darksidedog]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

“The Thai military has made repeated promises to respect human rights and allow peaceful criticism since seizing power, but has completely failed to turn these into reality,” Gomez said.

Very true and sadly the state of affairs looks set to continue in the same vein for the foreseeable future. If anything, it seems to be getting worse, not better.

[JoePai]

Amnesty International demands    

[trainman34014]

Will be treated with the usual Thai contempt, like....''Amnesty International is not my Father'' and so on.

[Chris Lawrence]

So are Amnesty going to stand in the front line and get arrested? If you put your hand up be prepared to do the social justice work.

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

James Gomez, Amnesty International’s director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said Thailand’s military rulers were not only continuing to tie up hundreds of real or perceived critics with long-running criminal proceedings, but had escalated a crackdown on peaceful dissent in recent months.

amnesty intl's arguments are for civilized,thinking people;

what in the world does that have to do with our current ruling bunch ?

[coulson]

Tick tock

[Sir Dude]

Amnesty International are often unrealistic and expect lightning change.....the best way to get change in these places is to pressure the EU and US governments about trade with these places as that is all they care for.  They certainly don't care about what bleating human rights NGOs say.

[timewilltell]

One wonders why the US and EU are so keen to restart talks after they suspended all negotiations with the Thais after the coup.  Well, no one wonders really, but it does show the hypocrisy the world over.  Rather sickening really - people just don't matter anymore and democracy has been fatally infected.  They don't even bother to hide the corruption and bull they spout out to hoodwink.

[RichardColeman]

"These foreign bodied just don't understand Thailand" - same answer as the corruption index

[ncc1701d]

What influence / authority does AI have?

Edited February 2, 2018 by ncc1701d

[surangw]

this will just cause an increase in crack downs to  gain face