112WATCH Featured in German Media

Founder of 112WATCH, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, gave an interview to DW on the problem with Article 112 – an issue that has seriously violated human rights.

Thai politicians and Western governments alike have avoided a direct interference into the application of law for fear of retribution and out of favour of the Thai monarchy.

Quoted from DW:

Pavin Chachavalpongpun, associate professor at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies, said that when foreign governments condemn the impact of the lese majeste law on human rights, they focus on how the law is "exploited" by political actors but they "never challenge the law itself."Western governments, he added, "have been reluctant to interfere as the issue is closely related to the institution of the monarchy; they do not want to come across as being hostile to the institution."

Pavin, who has lived in exile since 2014, is a co-founder of 112Watch, a group that campaigns for legal reform. Lese majeste is formally defined by Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code.

"In my opinion, Western governments must focus on the law mainly, or even help support reform of the law, as requested by the young generation in Thailand," Chachavalpongpun told DW.

See here: https://www.dw.com/en/thailand-meps-call-for-reform-of-draconian-lese-majeste/a-65355492