Author: Jonathan Fox

July 7 marked 90 days since Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in Thailand. Even though Thai security forces quelled the Red Shirt protests in late May, the Abhisit administration recently extended the emergency decree over nearly a third of the kingdom for an additional three months. While much has been said about the political, economic and social impacts of the kingdom’s recent unrest, little attention has been given to the dangerous erosion of freedom of expression in Thailand.

The recent cycle of deadly violence began on March 12, when tens of thousands of Red Shirt protesters rallied against the Abhisit government. Read more…

Author: Jonathan Fox, independent researcher

Southeast Asian governments continuously seek to restrict basic human rights and political freedoms, and have utilised increasingly sophisticated technology to do so. Thai authorities have even called upon academics to lend their support to State censorship.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva recently met with a governmental advisory committee, headed by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Kittipong Kittayarak, regarding the enforcement of the Kingdom’s lèse majesté laws. Read more…