Thai human rights in the spotlight

The author of a controversial book on Thailand's lese majeste law will be just one of the high profile speakers at an ANU forum examining human rights abuses in Thailand. The forum - On the Brink: Human Rights in Thailand - brings together a range of experts to analyse human rights issues in Thailand following the violent clashes in April between the Red Shirts and the forces of the Thai government. Among the speakers will be Dr David Streckfuss the author of the recently-published book Truth on Trial in Thailand: Defamation, treason and lese-majeste . Other speakers on the day include Dr Coeli Barry, Dr Thanet Aphornsuvan and Nicholas Farrelly, Dr Craig Reynolds and Dr Andrew Walker of ANU. Event organiser and panel moderator Dr Tyrell Haberkorn said that in the aftermath of the crackdown on the Red Shirts, human rights in Thailand were peril. 'Five months after the end of the violence the Bangkok metropolitan area and many provinces still remain under emergency rule,' she said. 'Additionally, dissent and speech remain curtailed and there are continuing arrests of journalists and web activists.