After a two-year pause, authorities resumed arrested by authorities for entering the using lèse-majesté laws. At least 116 people, country illegally. Border officials pushed back including at least three children, were into Myanmar approximately 2,000 Karen charged with lèse-majesté between January villagers who fled to Thailand to escape and November. Among them was “Anchan”, military air strikes. In November, authorities a former civil servant, who was sentenced to forcibly returned refugees to Cambodia. 87 years’ imprisonment for sharing audio files RIGHT TO HEALTH on social media. The sentence was halved after she pleaded guilty. In March, police Thailand was hit by a third wave of Covid-19 arrested and charged two girls, aged 14 and infections in April, with the government’s slow 15, for burning pictures of the King. vaccine roll-out cited as a significant In July, five people, including an Amnesty contributory factor to this and other surges in International staff member, were fined after infections during the year. Government they took part in a panel discussion on the records showed more than 20,000 people fate of Thai activists abducted in died from the virus. Approximately 87,000 neighbouring countries since 2016. The cases were reported in prisons, exacerbated panellists raised concerns about the lack of by poor hygiene and overcrowded conditions. investigation into the enforced disappearance At least 185 prisoners died as a result. of pro-democracy activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit in Cambodia in June 2020, as well INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS the failure of the Thai authorities to establish In February, ethnic Karen people protested in the fate or whereabouts of eight other exiled front of the Government House in Bangkok activists who remained missing. demanding to be allowed to return to their TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT ancestral lands in Jai Pan Din village in Kaeng Krachan National Park, where they In August, Jiraphong Thanapat died after had lived for decades prior to being forcibly being tortured at Muang Nakhon Sawan evicted in 2011. In March, 22 Karen villagers police station. Video evidence showed police were arrested and detained in Kaeng officers suffocating him by placing a plastic Krachan National Park for trespassing. bag over his head until he collapsed. Lawyers were not allowed to be present ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES during their interrogations. In September, parliament agreed an initial SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS draft of a law that would criminalize both In February, parliament amended the torture and enforced disappearances for the Criminal Code, making abortion legal up to first time. However, the draft failed to include the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The term of important elements, in line with international imprisonment for women convicted of standards, such as: the inclusion of “persons terminating their pregnancy after the first or groups of persons acting with the trimester was also reduced from three years authorization, support or acquiescence of the to six months, but abortion after 12 weeks State” among perpetrators of an enforced remained a criminal offence. disappearance; the inclusion of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment by law 1. Thailand: "My Face Burned as if on Fire": Unlawful Use of Force by enforcement personnel as punishable Police During Public Assemblies (ASA 39/4356/2021), 2 July offences; and provisions on the continuous 2. “Thailand: Urgent investigation needed after live rounds fired at nature of the crime. child protesters”, 18 August REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS After the February military coup in Myanmar, three journalists who fled to Thailand were Amnesty International Report 2021/22 364