Thai junta forces human rights group to cancel presentation on rights situation since coup

BANGKOK, Thailand—Thailand’s ruling military junta has forced a human rights group to cancel a presentation on the precarious rights situation in the Southeast Asian country three months after the army staged a coup.

The military told Bangkok-based Thai Lawyers for Human Rights that if the group has concerns about lack of freedom of expression or access to the justice system it should report them instead via a government hotline.

The group had been scheduled to host a panel discussion on the issue Tuesday and release a report titled “Access to Justice in Thailand: Currently Unavailable.”

The May 22 coup deposed Thailand’s elected government, and since then the junta has showed no tolerance for dissent.