Pavin Chachavalpongpun, founder of 112WATCH, will kick off an international advocacy tour in September 2026—his first in almost two years—visiting key cities across North America. The primary objective of the tour is to engage with local Thai diaspora communities, international civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions to raise global awareness regarding the ongoing enforcement of Article 112 (Lèse-Majesté) in Thailand.

Context: The Ongoing Crisis of Article 112

The advocacy tour comes at a critical juncture for human rights in Thailand. Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, which penalizes insults, threats, or defamation against the monarchy with mandatory sentences of 3 to 15 years per count, remains one of the state's primary legal instruments for suppressing political dissent. Since late 2020, nearly 300 individuals—including human rights lawyers, student activists, online commentators, and at least 20 minors—have been charged under the law.

Despite public demands for judicial reform and legislative amnesty, Thai courts continue to deliver record-breaking stacked sentences, systematically deny pre-trial bail, and uphold severe restrictions on freedom of expression. With Thailand set to face intense scrutiny during its 4th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in November 2026, international pressure and grassroots advocacy remain essential to holding the Thai government accountable.

 Tour Itinerary & Key Engagements

 Canada: Vancouver

Pavin will begin his trip in Canada, starting in Vancouver, home to one of the largest concentrations of young Thai political refugees in North America. The Vancouver gathering will bring together local diaspora members and exiled activists to discuss the state of political persecution in Thailand, building on the momentum of his July 2024 meeting in the city, which drew over 100 attendees. While in Vancouver, Pavin will also deliver guest lectures at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Capilano University, examining the intersection of royal defamation laws and Southeast Asian geopolitical stability.

United States: New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco

Following his engagements in Canada, Pavin will travel to the United States for a series of public forums, academic lectures, and cultural advocacy events:

• New York City: Pavin will meet with members of the Thai community and deliver a public lecture at New York University (NYU) focusing on international human rights frameworks and freedom of speech.
• Chicago: In addition to town hall discussions with local Thai residents, Pavin will host the soft launch of an exhibition dedicated to Thai Political Prisoners, showcasing visual narratives and case histories to humanize those currently incarcerated under Section 112.
• San Francisco & The Bay Area: For the final leg of the tour, Pavin will visit Northern California to lecture at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. His presentations will address the domestic judicial mechanisms surrounding Article 112 and the role of transnational advocacy networks.

Vision & Expected Outcomes

Through this multi-city campaign, Pavin hopes to re-energize international solidarity networks, strengthen connections between exiled dissidents and diaspora groups, and provide policymakers, academics, and international CSOs with updated empirical data on political prosecutions in Thailand. By highlighting these human rights concerns across North America in the months leading up to the Geneva UPR dialogue, 112WATCH aims to ensure that the Thai state's enforcement of Article 112 remains a central focus of international diplomatic scrutiny.