With regards to concerns expressed by certain foreign non-government organization on the case of Mr. Thanet Anantawong, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify as follows:

1. Mr. Thanet Anantawong was charged for the offense of spreading false information on social media in violation of Section 116 of the Criminal Code (for sedition) and the Computer Crimes Act. He had been arrested on 13 December 2015 and was released the following day (14 December 2015) on a 100,000 THB bail;

2. Thailand supports and highly values freedom of expression; however, this is not absolute in view of the need to uphold public order and prevent social divisiveness as the country is moving forward to achieve
a more sustainable democracy and social harmony;

3. Proceedings on the case have been conducted in accordance with due legal process and during his detention, Mr. Thanet received treatment in compliance with human rights principles;

4. There is no difference between the adjudication process in the military court and the civilian courts.  The Statute of the Military Court provides the accused or the defendants with basic rights just as they are entitled to in civilian courts. At the moment, civilians can only be tried in military courts if their actions fall under one of the 4 types of offences according to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Order No. 3/2015.
The four types of offences are (1) crimes against the Monarchy (2) crimes against national security (3) offences relating to war weapons and (4) violation of NCPO orders.