The government responded to the protests by launching a wave of arrests, citing Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code (also known as the lèse-majesté law), which criminalizes insults and defamation against the Thai royal family and carries lengthy prison sentences, as well as other laws (e.g., Article 215 of the Criminal Code on illegal assemblies). Additionally, groups such as the Ratsadon, We Volunteer (WeVo), and Thalufah organized a rally in June 2022 to commemorate the anniversary of the 1932 revolution. He Who Must Not Be Named”-themed protest, and protesters adopted the three-finger salute from the bestselling book and movie series The Hunger Games to demonstrate their defiance. Activists including Arnon Nampa also organized a “Harry Potter vs. Inspired by the pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan, activists in Thailand joined the “Milk Tea Alliance” in 2020, named after a drink that is popular in the region. One year later, Maha Vajiralongkorn, the son of the widely-popular King Bhumibol Adulyadej who died in 2016 after a seven decade reign, ascended the throne.ĭissatisfaction with the government and the monarchy led to mass protests and social media campaigns (e.g., “ #WhyDoWeNeedAKing” and “ #FreeYouth,” representing the Free Youth Movement of students) that have demanded a return to democracy and reforms of the monarchy. Thailand’s 2019 elections, the first elections following the 2014 coup, did not restore parliamentary democracy, but instead returned the coup leaders to power and further institutionalized the military in government. Thailand has had at least twelve successful coups, in addition to at least seven unsuccessful coup attempts, since the end of its absolute monarchy in 1932. The junta claimed that the 2014 coup was needed to restore order and called itself the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). The military launched another coup on and seized power following mass protests against the civilian government led by Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra. Corruption allegations against the regime culminated in a military coup on Septemthat ousted Thaksin. The country has been beset by intense political conflict since 2005, during the government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Kingdom of Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary-style government divided into executive, legislative, and judiciary branches. Introduction: Surveillance & Repression in Thailand This report is a companion to a report with detailed contextual analysis by iLaw and DigitalReach. A sample of the victims was independently analyzed by Amnesty International’s Security Lab which confirms the methodology used to determine Pegasus infections.The report describes the results of an ensuing collaborative investigation by the Citizen Lab, and Thai NGOs iLaw, and DigitalReach.Following the notification, multiple recipients made contact with civil society groups, including the Citizen Lab. The ongoing investigation was triggered by notifications sent by Apple to Thai civil society members in November 2021.The observed infections took place between October 2020 and November 2021.We forensically confirmed that at least 30 individuals were infected with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware.We discovered an extensive espionage campaign targeting Thai pro-democracy protesters, and activists calling for reforms to the monarchy.John Scott-Railton 1, Bill Marczak 1, Irene Poetranto 1, Bahr Abdul Razzak 1, Sutawan Chanprasert 2, and Ron Deibert 1
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