The CIVICUS Monitor has once again added Thailand to its Watchlist of countries experiencing rapid declines in civic freedoms.

This decision follows a series of significant developments, including the dissolution of a major opposition party and the ongoing use of strict lèse-majesté laws to suppress political dissent.

On 7 August 2024, Thailand’s Constitutional Court dissolved the opposition Move Forward Party, which had won the most seats in the recent general election.

The court charged the party with treason for advocating reforms to Penal Code Article 112, which governs lèse-majesté (royal defamation), and imposed 10-year political bans on all executive members who served from April 2021 to January 2024.

Human rights organizations have condemned the ruling as politically motivated.

Josef Benedict, a CIVICUS Monitor Asia researcher, described the dissolution of the party as “a blatant attempt to stifle political opposition and silence voices calling for reform,” noting that the decision undermines democratic processes and violates the right to political participation.

Thailand’s government has been criticized for its continued use of lèse-majesté laws to target activists. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), at least 272 individuals have been prosecuted under the law since 2020.

Recent cases include the sentencing of three activists to seven years in prison for singing a protest song on 18 July, and the conviction of human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa to four years in jail on 25 July for social media posts about the monarchy. Pro-democracy activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison on similar charges on 31 July.

Further highlighting the deteriorating human rights situation, in Thailand’s Deep South, Malay Muslim human rights defender Roning Dolah was killed in June 2024. Additionally, nine activists face potential charges of sedition in connection with their participation in a cultural event in 2022.

Josef Benedict emphasized the broader implications of these developments, stating, “The ongoing use of lèse-majesté laws to target activists and critics is deeply troubling for a country seeking a place on the UN Human Rights Council. These actions are part of a broader pattern of repression that is eroding civic space and silencing dissent in Thailand.”

Another concern is the rise of transnational repression. Independent UN experts have raised alarms over Vietnam’s request for Thailand to extradite human rights defender Y Quynh Bdap, whose extradition hearings are ongoing. There are fears that Bdap may face severe persecution if returned to Vietnam.

Despite these concerns, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, elected in August 2024, has yet to address the growing criticisms. The CIVICUS Monitor continues to urge the Thai government to halt its crackdown on dissent and uphold its obligations under international human rights laws.

Thailand currently holds a ‘Repressed’ rating on the CIVICUS Monitor, which classifies 50 countries worldwide as heavily restricting civic freedoms through legal and practical measures imposed by authorities.

A 31-year-old Singaporean man, wanted for drug trafficking offences, was arrested in Thailand and deported to Singapore on 19 September 2024.

The fugitive, identified as Benny Kee Soon Chuan, was apprehended by Thai police at his residence near Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and will face charges in court on 20 September.

Kee, described as a high-level trafficker, ran a smuggling operation that trafficked crystal methamphetamine, ketamine, and Ecstasy to Australia and Singapore using Thailand as a transit hub, according to Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboon, secretary-general of Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).

Cross-Border Investigation and Arrest

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) of Singapore had issued an arrest warrant for Kee following investigations into two drug trafficking cases in December 2020 and November 2022.

He had been on the run since 11 April 2016, prompting CNB to collaborate with its international counterparts, including the ONCB. Thai authorities were tipped off by CNB on 12 August 2024, and after weeks of investigation, Kee was apprehended on 17 September.

Thai immigration officials revealed that Kee had entered Thailand earlier in 2024 using a Vanuatu passport.

Following his arrest, Kee’s Thai visa was cancelled, and assets worth 15 million baht (S$585,000), including luxury watches, gold pieces, and a luxury car, were seized during a raid on his residence in Samut Prakan.

Lt Gen Panurat confirmed that the fugitive had been living an affluent lifestyle in Thailand despite lacking legitimate employment.

Links to Broader Drug Network

Kee is believed to be linked to other Singaporean traffickers involved in the smuggling of drugs from Thailand.

In March 2021, Thailand’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Task Force (AITF) intercepted packages containing Ecstasy and ketamine destined for Singapore, as well as crystal methamphetamine bound for Australia.

Two other Singaporean men, aged 21 and 29 at the time of their arrests, were later sentenced to imprisonment and caning in Singapore for their involvement in these operations, which were connected to Kee’s trafficking network.

Death Penalty Under Singaporean Law

Kee’s deportation to Singapore brings him under the jurisdiction of Singapore’s severe drug laws, which prescribe the death penalty for those convicted of trafficking substantial amounts of controlled substances.

Singaporean authorities have indicated that he could face the death penalty under the country’s strict drug trafficking laws. Pol Lt Gen Panurat indicated that Singaporean authorities are expected to seek the maximum penalty for Kee’s alleged offences.