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The military junta was urged to refrain from using the threat of a State of Emergency in order to install fear in people who intend to join today's demonstration. 

A Bangkok-based "Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development" (Forum-Asia) Tuesday issued a statement reminding the military junta's government to be aware of the country' s status as a party to the United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which emphasises that the state has to protect and uphold the rights to freedom of assembly.

The statement said that mass demonstrations on the outcome of the court's decision has already attracted people from neighbouring provinces despite numerous military checkpoints set up to prohibit people from pouring in Bangkok.

"The rights to freedom of association and assembly are vital in a democratic society and are regardless of political affiliation. It is a basic human right to allow people to gather and voice out their concerns. By these rights, they are able to exercise their freedom of opinion and expression", said Anselmo Lee, executive director of Forum-Asia, a regional human rights organisation with 40 member-organisations in 15 countries in Asia.

The military government cannot use the State of Emergency in this case to derogate from its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Lee warned.

"The State of Emergency, which is hung like a sword over those people intending to join demonstrations tomorrow [Wednesday 30 May] is contrary to international human rights law," he added.

The Nation