Cancel OYW wishes to announce its appeal to One Young World Counsellors and Organisers. OYW’s 2015 global summit is planned for November 18-21 in the heart of the world’s only military dictatorship, Thailand. The appeal may be seen at Thailand’s Future in English and Thai, along with contact information for One Young World representatives.

 

“One Young World is an international charity committed to freedom of speech for world’s future leaders. We think that the message of holding OYW in a military dictatorship sends the wrong message to our bright future. Dictatorship isn’t ok and that’s why they should cancel the OYW in Bangkok until democracy and freedom of expression is restored in Thailand,” said a spokesman of @Thailandsfuture, an anonymous group behind the campaign.  

 

Thailand’s military junta is capitalising One Young World as a propaganda tool by promising OYW participants freedom of expression. Free speech, for the rest of us, has been outlawed in Thailand! Will One Young World defend free speech in Thailand after their summit is over?

 

No dissent is tolerated by the generals, using broad tactics of intimidation. More than 800 have been summonsed and detained, 251 arrested for holding peaceful protests. Many of them are students; dozens have been charged with sedition, their families harassed. At least 70 academic panels, meetings, and seminars have been banned. More than 100 have fled into exile. Although martial law has been repealed, the generals have decreed absolute power with the far more insidious Article 44.

 

Some 200 people have been charged with free speech crimes. Huge sentences are being given by military courts-martial with no right to defence counsel or appeal. No right to a fair trial in Thailand. 51 charges since the coup have already resulted in 24 convictions; 87% of charges result in conviction in civilian courts in Thailand in normal times, 96% in military courts.

 

In Thailand, two university students are serving five years for a staging a Thai version of Orwell’s Animal Farm; six other actors and its director are living in exile in poverty. Another student was sentenced to five years for a single Facebook post. A travel agent was sentenced to 60 years for six Facebook posts, a hotel staffer. mother of two young girls, 56 years for seven, a citizen journalist 50 years for five.

 

Dozens more have been held years without bail, forced to plead guilty to halve the Draconian sentences, then counting on a Royal pardon. Think about it: decades in prison for voicing your opinion. Thailand has been censured by the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and other countries for its blatant refusal to apply basic international human rights standards.

 

Even if a citizen is not detained, the military junta heavily censors all political speech and is planning to consolidate surveillance on all Internet traffic into a single international gateway. Speaking out is playing ‘Thai roulette’. It’s illegal to read 1984 in public.

 

One Young World claims a network of 6,000 young leaders in 196 countries “to effect change”. What about Thailand?

 

100 young leaders from across Thailand have attended a mentorship camp in September 2015. Will they speak up for Thailand’s future at the summit?

 

Do One Young World’s 100 counsellors, pillars of philanthropy, humanitarianism, human rights, government, and business, even know the generals illegally revoked Thailand’s Constitution after seizing power from an elected government? Do they know that Thailand’s military-appointed legislature claims over 50% acting and retired military officers, more than Burma? Do they know that 50% of Thailand’s Cabinet ministers are military?

 

Do One Young World’s 50 youthful Coordinating Ambassadors know that Thailand has canceled plans for free elections five times already? When will Thailand see the most basic return to democracy?

 

Thailand’s military is holding us hostage. No one here is safe. We think ignoring dictatorship is the wrong message to be sending the world’s future leaders.