<p>Video clip of panel discussion on the lese majeste law held on 7 June in Bangkok with speakers including Benedict Anderson,&nbsp; Pravit Rojanaphruk, Andrew MacGregor Marshall (via Skype), and Sulak Sivaraksa, moderated by Lisa Gardner.</p>

<p>Eyewitnesses have come forward in the case of slain Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi, his sister said today, ensuring that his case will be heard before Thai courts.</p>

<p>As reported widely and so too here at Siam Voices:</p> <p>Earlier today, with the eyes of international media upon it, Thailand&rsquo;s judiciary would delay the delivery of a final verdict in the ongoing case of Prachatai executive director Chiranuch Premchaiporn.</p>

<p>Thai authorities should &quot;vigorously pursue perpetrators of hate speech directed at Nitirat and other peaceful critics,&quot; say Amnesty International (AI). </p>

<p>Prachatai has monitored the <a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2826">case</a> closely, writing that &quot;the Thai-born American citizen was arrested by the Department of Special Investigation in late May this year for allegedly translating the banned book &lsquo;The King Never Smiles&rsquo; and placing links to download the translation on the internet, violating the l&egrave;se majest&eacute; law and the 2007 Computer Crimes Act.&quot;</p>

<p>Federico Ferrara is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong. He is the author of &quot;Thailand Unhinged: The Death of Thai-Style Democracy&quot; (2011), described as a &quot;expose that offers a no-apologies, scathing critique of Thai society and politics in post-Thaksin Thailand.&quot; His research speaks to political transitions and democratic reform across Southeast Asia.</p>

<p>Authorities have confirmed that citizen photographer Bernd Mechsner, 50, passed away earlier in the week. Bernd, a Swiss scientist, businessman and resident in Thailand for over a decade, died as a result of sudden heart complications on Monday evening, at his home in Bangkok. </p>

<p><em>International Media Advocates on the Case of Prachatai Executive Director Chiranuch Premchaiporn </em><br /> &nbsp;</p>

<p>A Bangkok-based computer programmer is the latest individual to be charged with both lese-majeste and the Computer Crimes Act.</p>

<p>U.S. citizen and l&egrave;se majest&eacute; prisoner Joe Gordon is &ldquo;learning a lot about Thai politics, in prison,&rdquo; and intends to mount a serious charge against the Thai Government in light of his ongoing incarceration.</p>

<p>Late last month, Joe Gordon, a Thai-American citizen, was again denied bail on charges relating to lese-majeste and the Computer Crimes Act (CCA). The decision marks the seventh and final appeal for bail during the period of his pre-trial incarceration. </p>

<p>While international media report that the security forces of President Basher Al Assad have, since Sunday, escalated their attacks against pro-democracy civilians, resulting in some 200 deaths, Syria&rsquo;s ambassador to Thailand prefers Syrian state-owned reportage: claiming international reports are simply &ldquo;not true.&rdquo;</p>