Story by Attachai Had-anCover illustration by Kittiya On-in In preparation for the upcoming election on May 7, 2023, “The Opener” has studied the spread of misinformation and how it might impair the quest for a free and fair election in Thailand. Lessons from the 2019 election campaign until now indicate that while
May 12, 2022 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.The White HouseWashington, DC Re: Thailand’s abusive draft law on not-for-profit organizations Dear President Biden, We, the undersigned non-profit organizations, are writing to express our serious concerns regarding Thailand’s Draft Act on the Operations of Not-for-Profit Organizations, which the Thai Cabinet approved in principle on
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), in its final comprehensive report on its observation of the 2021 Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO) elections in Thailand, said the polls were more genuine and democratic in nature than the 2019 general election. ANFREL said the conduct of the first tambon elections since the 2014
International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year around the world. The IWD 2022 campaign theme is "Break The Bias". Women have taken charge to advance the exercise of their civil and political rights in different aspects of everyday living but obstacles remain, limiting the progress of women to have
First published on workpointTODAY on 17 February 2022, "Thailand: Why do we have so few women in Parliament?" was produced under the ANFREL Southeast Asia Media Fellowship on Election Reporting. By Wasinee Pabuprapap Women have held leadership positions in different sectors of society in Thailand, even in public office but they remain
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is commemorating 25 years of advancing electoral democracy in Asia in 2022. In the last quarter of 2021, ANFREL organized the Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum 5 where participants adopted the “AESF 5 Memorandum: The Way Forward for Elections Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.” ANFREL also observed
Bangkok, 30 November 2021 Thailand held on Sunday 28 November 2021 its first tambon/sub-district administration organization (TAO) elections since the 2014 coup. This followed on provincial elections and municipal elections held in December 2020 and March 2021, respectively. ANFREL welcomes this long-overdue return to local democracy, congratulates the voters, the Election Commission
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), the leading election monitoring group in Asia, is proud to launch its pilot media fellowship on election reporting for Southeast Asian journalists. The fellowship program seeks to equip journalists from independent news outlets and freelance journalists in empowering the electorate through crucial reporting of underrepresented
Seventeen international human rights organizations today denounced the Thai government’s newly announced Regulation No. 29, which empowers the authorities to censor online expression, and investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for communications that may “instigate fear”. The Regulation is the government’s latest attack on the right to freedom of expression and information in
Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) have made a joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Thailand that will take place in October 2021. The submission was done based on ANFREL's findings in its international election observation mission to the 2019 Thai general
The people of Thailand will head to the polls for the municipal elections on 28 March 2021. Voters were able to participate in the the 2020 Thai Provincial Administration Organization (PAO) elections held on 20 December 2020, the first local elections since the civilian government was toppled by a military coup in
The year 2020 has been quite a challenging year for many as the COVID-19 pandemic affected many aspects of everyday life. For this edition of ANFREL's newsletter e-Bulletin, we highlight our activities and programs not just for the last quarter of 2020 but our journey throughout the year. The Asian Network for
Four observers teams of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) were deployed in the provinces of Surin, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, and Nonthaburi to monitor the Thai provincial elections held on 20 December 2020. These were the first local elections conducted since the civilian government was toppled by a military coup
The elections in Thailand this Sunday, 20 December 2020, is an important democratic milestone since it'll be the first local elections to be held since the military-led coup took over the civilian government in 2014, panelists of ANFREL's webinar agreed. ANFREL organized a webinar on Tuesday, 15 December 2020, to discuss the
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a webinar about the Thai local elections looking into the opportunities and obstacles for decentralization in Thailand on Tuesday, 15 December 2020, at 4 p.m. (Bangkok Time). Local elections in Thailand are scheduled for 20 December 2020. ANFREL invited Dr. Orathai Kokpol, deputy
Statement by International NGOs on Pro-Democracy Protests on November 17 and 25, 2020 We, the undersigned organizations, condemn the Thai police’s unnecessary and excessive use of force against peaceful protesters marching to the national parliament in Bangkok on November 17, 2020. We are concerned that authorities could employ similar measures when facing
See more photos here: "By-Election in Samut Prakan, Thailand" The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) observed a by-election in Thailand’s Samut Prakan province on 9 August 2020. It was the second time a by-election took place in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, under the “new normal election” policy devised by
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and youth volunteers from domestic observer group WeWatch were in Lampang (Northern Thailand) on 20 June 2020 to monitor the first by-election held in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The election served as testing grounds for "new normal" polling procedures introduced by the Election Commission.
While the State's obligation to ensure accommodation and assistance for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to vote is guaranteed under the law in Thailand, the right of PWDs to participate in all aspects of the election is yet to be realized. This is what the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) found in
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) released the latest edition of its quarterly e-newsletter E-Bulletin. For the last quarter of 2019, ANFREL successfully concluded its international election observation mission for the 2019 Sri Lanka Presidential Election in November, organized trainings for election monitors in Myanmar and Thailand, and elected a new
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) launched its first election monitoring handbook for civil society organizations in Thailand. Tailor-fitted to address the needs of emerging domestic election watchdog organizations in the country, the Election Monitoring Handbook for CSOs in Thailand aims to help election monitors in pursuing significant initiatives on their
[rev_slider alias="2019-12-19"] The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) organized a two-day training on election monitoring for civil society organizations and media in Thailand from 18 to 19 December 2019. The participants learned the legal framework of elections in Thailand, international standards of democratic governance, and key principles of election monitoring,
Position ID: FY2019.PCThaiCB Hours: Full-time, Regular Duration of Contract: 3 ½ months (until 31 December 2019), with potential continuation afterwards Location: ANFREL Headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand Salary: Commensurate with experience and qualifications Starting Date: As soon as possible (position will be filled when a suitable candidate is found) Roles and Responsibilities: ANFREL
Full Research (Thai): วิจัยกฎหมาย_ฉบับสมบูรณ์_ Executive Summary (English): Executive Summary Joint Statement by ANFREL and PWD Network in Thailand: Joint Statement_ANFREL_PWD Network.2 Aug.2019 Abstract The election is one of the most critical procedures that undergird the foundation of liberal democracy as it enables citizens to express their collective political wills by electing their representatives according to
Bangkok, 20 December 2018 As the date set for the Thai general election looms closer, there is growing debate as to whether international poll observers should be allowed to monitor the ballot on February 24. To defuse any controversy, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) wishes to explain why it believes
A Brief Assessment Report BACKGROUND Thailand democratic rule has been forcedly retaken by military through successful coup d'état that happened on May 22nd 2014 led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Commander of the Royal Thai Army (RTA), against the caretaker government of Thailand, following six months of the crisis in the country. The
The Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel), AGENDA – General Election Network for Disability Access, and the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) are currently engaging in projects to improve accessibility of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Thailand during elections. The project aims to spread awareness on the needs of PWDs by providing
For Immediate Release Bangkok, 9 August -- Thailand’s military-drafted constitution was the subject of generally peaceful and smooth polling on Sunday. ANFREL congratulates the people of Thailand for participating in this important electoral exercise. Similarly, the hard work of polling station officials deserves to be recognized for ensuring an efficient and professionally managed
For Immediate Release 04 August 2016 Bangkok, Thailand ANFREL to Perform Random Polling Station Checks during 2016 Thailand Constitutional Referendum The Asian Network for Free Elections announced that it plans to perform spot checks of polling stations to observe the conduct of the Thai referendum to be held on 7 August 2016.
For Immediate Release: 30 June 2016 Bangkok, Thailand Thailand Referendum: Ban on monitoring and free speech against International Norms and Fair Play ANFREL expresses its serious concern on the Thai government’s decision to ban election monitors and its imposition of strong restrictions against freedom of speech in the light of the
