Thai Oxford students to petition Thai PM
A group of Thai students at Oxford University plans to petition Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva today, calling for a reform of the lese-majeste law and the Computer Crime Act while the PM visits the school to speak at his old college.
"The real problem lies in the ambiguous content [of the two laws], which can be interpreted in ways that contradict democratic principles," the petition says.
The group, numbering about a dozen, including both undergraduates and post-graduates, will also urge Abhisit to reform the junta-sponsored charter, which they said gave too much power to non-elected entities "to intervene in politics", as well as to the judiciary.
The group, which told The Nation they have been "discouraged" by the Thai Embassy in London from protesting, for fear of creating a "bad image", will ask Abhisit to return power to the people as soon as possible.
They said the head of the Thai diplomatic mission in London "unfortunately is also an Oxonian, is more sympathetic to Democrat/PAD [People's Alliance for Democracy] causes".
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