AI In-brief 13 Sept 09:46

Thailand agonizes over fate of hunger strikers -- and lese majeste law

Two young Thai activists, Tantawan "Tawan" Tuatulanon and Orawan "Bam" Phuphong, are on a hunger strike, protesting against unjust pretrial detention for critics of the monarchy and demanding the repeal of the lese majeste (Article 112) and sedition (Article 116) laws.
Charged under the lese majeste law, they voluntarily revoked their bail to show solidarity with other detained activists, leading to their health deteriorating significantly and transfer to a hospital.
Thailand's House of Representatives convened an unprecedented debate to address their worsening condition, highlighting deep political divisions as government and opposition politicians accuse each other of using the activists' plight for political gain.
While opposition parties advocate for judicial reform and fair bail considerations, they largely avoid explicitly supporting the repeal of lese majeste, fearing alienating conservative voters ahead of upcoming elections.

AI In-brief Today 19:42

Meet Ubonrat Thaonoi, the TV anchor recruited to save government’s image

Former TV anchor Ubonrat Thaonoi has been appointed assistant government spokesperson to revitalize the Thai government's image and combat misinformation following declining popularity.
Leveraging her decade of media experience, familiar public persona, and extensive social media following (over 450,000 Facebook followers), she aims to directly connect government policies with the public.
Her initial tasks include hosting a new government TV program, actively debunking political rumors and false accusations on social media, and warning against the spread of fake news to restore public trust.