Prachatai English

Independent, non-profit, daily web newspaper established in June 2004 FCEM has 6 board members to look after the projects under FCEM, including Prachatai.

Prachatai (prachatai.com or prachatai.org) is an alternative, non-profit, daily web newspaper established in June 2004 to provide reliable and relevant news and information to the Thai public during an era of serious curbs on the freedom and independence of Thai news media. Prachatai was established by a group of concerned Thais who included a senior member of the Press Council of Thailand, a well

-known lecturer in Journalism, two members of the Thai Senate, a number of senior journalists, and a number of Thai NGO leaders. Prachatai Objectives

- To provide the Thai public with access to reliable news and information relevant to developing and strengthening the democratic functions of Thai civil society.
- To focus news coverage on the problems, concerns, activities and accomplishments of local communities and civil society movements and organisations.
- To strive for freedom and independence of Thai news media.
- To promote active public participation in Thai news media. Since January 2006 Prachatai has been registered as a Thai non-profit foundation, named The Foundation for Community educational Media(FCEM). Prachatai has a management team consisting of 4 senior staff, the management team is in charge for the operations of Prachatai. On September 6th 2004, Prachatai began its daily publication on the web with a staff of one editor and five reporters. At present Prachathai has a staff of 17: a Director, Manager, Editor in Chief, News Editor, 7 Bangkok office reporters, 2 regional reporters, a web administrator, a multi-media officer, a graphic designer and a finance officer. The first achievement of Prachatai was the investigative report on the Tak Bai massacre in October 2004. After that the readership gradually increased until the coup d’etat happened on September 19th 2006. After the Coup the readership Prachatai grew drastically readership but Prachatai was also faced with some levels of state interference and censorship. On 6th March 2009 the Prachatai office was raided by over 10 policemen and the Director of Prachatai got arrested with charges under the Articles 14 & 15 from the Computer Crime Act 2007 because of contents posted by users in the webboard (web-forum). On 24th September 2010 the Director of Prachatai got a second arrest at Bangkok Airport after returning from an international conference and was transported to Khon Kaen province where an arrest warrant was issued. She faced similar charges plus Article 112 (Lese Majesté) and Article 116 (Sedition) from the Penal Code. Prachatai website was first officially blocked once the government declared the Emergency Decree on 7th April 2010, Prachatai also filed the lawsuit against the shutting down ordered. Although Prachatai lost in first stance it decided to appeal and now the case is under the Appeal Court. Any inquiries, please email us at [email protected]

07/09/2026

From protesting for students‘ rights and protections from abuses in schools, the Bad Student group has taken its fight from the streets to the stage. In 2025, it formed “Hope Theatre,” aiming to create a dialogue around long-held cultural norms and practices in schools such as corporal punishments, strict hairstyle and dress codes, and complete obedience to teachers.

In September 2025, Hope Theatre staged its performance, Ribbon Club the Musical, raising issues about violence in schools and suppression of freedom of expression.

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04/09/2026

The recent wave of attacks in Thailand's far South highlights the two decades of mistrust and stalled peace process between the government and the BRN. Delaying the talks to punish the BRN only means more attacks. At a minimum, a signed TOR on the reduction of violence would give the conflict some degree of predictability. Resuming talks with the BRN is not the only challenge, as the government's negotiator will also have to manage the military hardliners who have never liked the idea of negotiating with the BRN.

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03/09/2026

Prachatai explores the memories of young people whose parents or relatives were part of the “Red Shirt” and “Yellow Shirt” camps. We ask what they were told about the Red Shirts as children, whether their understandings changed over time, and what, if any, place the Red Shirts occupied in the youth protests of 2020.

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03/09/2026

The South Bangkok Criminal Court will hear a challenge to the detention of a Chinese investigative journalist and UN-recognised refugee Bai Zhaodong, who has been in detention for approximately six months and was twice barred from traveling to a third country.

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02/09/2026

Activist Promsorn Veerathamjaree has begun dry fasting after over 60 days of hunger strike and being repeatedly denied bail, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said yesterday (1 September).

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02/09/2026

Activists in Chiang Mai staged a protest today (2 September) in front of the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT)’s Chiang Mai office to demand that the ECT prosecute 229 suspects in the Senate collusion case.

Activist Chatchai Thammo told Lanner that questions have been raised about collusion during the 2024 Senate selection, which allows political groups to dominate the Senate. The protest was called because people have seen the evidence and want to demand prosecution of the suspects, he said, and because the people must hold independent bodies accountable. The activists are planning to hold another protest on 14 September if no progress is made in the case.

It was previously reported that the ECT would rule whether to refer the Senate collusion case to the Supreme Court by the end of August. However, in a press release issued on 28 August, the ECT said it will rule on the case on 14 September.

The legal watchdog NGO iLaw, which has been disclosing information about vote rigging and collusion during the Senate select, organised an event at the Chaeng Wattana Government Complex in Bangkok, where the ECT head office is located on Sunday (30 August). They call for the ECT to prosecute all suspects so the evidence can be heard in court. If the ECT does not prosecute any individual, they will release information about that individual‘s involvement to the public.

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02/09/2026

The Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) has filed a complaint with Central Investigation Bureau’s Crime Suppression Division against the legal watchdog NGO iLaw for exposing documents containing its Deputy Secretary-General's opinions over the Senate collusion case.

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01/09/2026

Pro-democracy activist Tantawan Tuatulanon has been sentenced to two years in prison for royal defamation over live streaming near a royal motorcade route on 5 March 2022. She was later granted provisional bail pending appeal.

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31/08/2026

Runners joined a 2.29-KM run around the track at the Chaeng Wattana Government Complex in an event organised by the legal watchdog NGO iLaw to call on the Election Commission to prosecute all 229 suspects in the Senate collusion case and refer the case to the Supreme Court.

Designed as a sports day, participants also took part in games of badminton, using boxes with pictures of Bhumjaithai cabinet ministers accused of involvement in senate collusion to hold down the net. Others played “Blue into the group” - a game in which they throw balls into boxes with names of suspects in the Senate collusion case.

After the activities, representatives of the Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA) and other civil society organizations read out a statement demanding that the ECT prosecute all 229 suspects, noting that the ECT is required by law to refer a case to court if there is reasonable evidence that a candidate committed election fraud or that they know others had committed fraud.

Before the end of the event, participants took photos together holding cardboard boxes with pictures of the 229 suspects, while a banner saying “Prosecute the senators” was dropped from the fourth floor balcony.

In a press release issued last Friday (28 August), the ECT said that it will rule whether to refer the Senate collusion case to court on 14 September.

iLaw director Yingcheep Atchanont said that the civil society’s only demand remains that the ECT prosecute all 229 suspects, so that the evidence can be heard in court. If the ECT decides not to prosecute any suspect, iLaw and its network will release information about that individual’s involvement to the public.

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31/08/2026

BREAKING

Activist Tantawan Tuatulanon has been sentenced to 2 years in prison on a royal defamation charge filed against her for live streaming near a royal motorcade route on 5 March 2022.

She also received a 600-baht fine for refusing to follow an officer’s order. Lawyers are currently requesting bail pending appeal.

Tantawan was arrested on 5 March 2022 and charged for live streaming on Ratchadamnoen Road. During the live stream, she questioned the way the authorities cleared the road in preparation for the motorcade by removing protesting farmers who had been living in a makeshift shelter on the footpath for 3 months to demand that the government solve the agricultural debt problem.

(Photo: Ginger Cat)