Current policies and measures in Thailand 

 and are further aggravating the risks and potential harms faced by the LGBTQI+ community, which results in negative experiences and grave health outcomes. There are some positive developments such as proposed anti-discrimination bills for legislative reforms that provide opportunities to support and protect, instead of punishing, members of the LGBTQI+ community. A landmark bill on legalising same-sex marriage passed the final reading in June 2024, making Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to do so. This is significant progress in uprooting systemic discrimination and paving the way for genuine acceptance of the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals. 

Since 2022, APCOM and IDPC have held consultations with civil society organisations working with communities of LGBTQI+ people and people who use drugs in Thailand to discuss their needs and the challenges they face in relation to drugs. The key findings and conclusions of these consultations are presented in this Advocacy Note, including a set of recommendations to four major stakeholder groups: government policymakers, law enforcement, health service providers, and communities of LGBTQI+ people who use drugs.

LGBTQI+ people who use drugs in Thailand: Advocacy for improved health and human rights responses

Each year, RightsCon convenes business leaders, policy makers, general counsels, government representatives, technologists, academics, journalists, and human rights advocates from around the world to tackle pressing issues at the intersection of human rights and technology. In engaging fireside chats, hands-on workshops, strategic roundtables, private meetings, and a lively exhibition space, RightsCon is where a global movement comes together to build strategies and drive forward change toward a more free, open, and connected digital world.

Over the past 12 years, RightsCon has rotated to key hubs around the world, including San José, Tunis, Toronto, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Manila, and San Francisco, and grown, both in size and in scope to meet the evolving needs of a movement.

For its 13th edition, we’re excited to host RightsCon 2025 in Taipei and online from February 24 to 27. As a leading democracy in the region, Taiwan is recognized globally for the freest online environment and greatest human freedom in Asia, a whole-of-society approach to human rights, and a vibrant civil society community. As the routine location of large-scale international events, coupled with the rapidly growing presence of international NGOs and global tech companies, we look forward to hosting our first summit in East Asia in Taipei and returning to the Asia Pacific region after a decade.

RightsCon 2025: Taipei

MANILA - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on April 15 he would not hand his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating his deadly drug war.

Thousands of people have been killed in an anti-narcotics campaign started by former president Duterte in 2016 and continued under Mr Marcos.

Asked on April 15 if he would hand Mr Duterte – who has accused him of being a drug addict and criticised his policies – to the ICC if it issued a warrant for his arrest, Mr Marcos said no.

“We don’t recognise the warrant that they will send to us. That’s a no,” he said at a forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.

“We are well within international law when we take the position of not recognising the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines,” Mr Marcos said.

Mr Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019 after the Hague-based tribunal started probing allegations of human rights abuses committed during his drug war.

The ICC launched a formal inquiry into Mr Duterte’s crackdown in September 2021, only to suspend it two months later after Manila said it was re-examining several hundred cases of drug operations that led to deaths at the hands of police, hitmen and vigilantes.

Philippines: Marcos says he will not hand Duterte to ICC over drug war

We are greatly concerned by the news that the Government of Singapore has issued at least four execution notices since 12 April 2024, all cases in relation to drug offending. Transformative Justice Collective, a member of the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, reports that in two of these four cases, the execution was stayed at the last minute. This leaves two people on death row at imminent risk of execution. The mental anguish persons on death row and their families experience in circumstances where execution warrants are issued is unimaginable.

Of particular concern is that it appears that all of these individuals have had execution warrants issued whilst being party to a pending Court application. The lack of transparency in relation to the use of the death penalty in Singapore, also means that it is unclear what procedural steps took place which led to the execution warrants being issued, and continuing to be issued, whilst a Court proceeding is on foot.

Safeguard no.8 of the UN Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, adopted by two UN bodies in 1984 without a vote, states that "[c]apital punishment shall not be carried out pending any appeal or other recourse procedure or other proceeding relating to pardon or commutation of the sentence". In the narrow circumstances in which the death penalty may be imposed under international law - which do not include drug trafficking - the criminal justice system should allow a robust testing of the individuals’ right of review up and until, the gallows.

If the reports that Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) have sought to expedite the hearings of the Court application on foot are correct, the decision-making process behind AGC’s position ought to be transparent, given the seriousness of the nature of these proceedings. Expediting cases through the judicial process undermines the ability to properly prepare and run a case, especially when the penalty is death. We therefore appeal to the AGC to ensure that the fair trial rights of all persons on death row are upheld.

In December 2022, 125 countries voted for a resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty at the United Nations General Assembly. We reiterate that the notion of national sovereignty cannot be used to undermine or negate the State’s obligation to protect the right to life. Death sentences that violate international fair trial standards are a violation of the right to life. Despite international law clearly restricting the death penalty to the ‘most serious crimes’ understood as intentional killing, Singapore remains one of only a handful of countries that continue to execute individuals for drug offences. We join the call of the Transformative Justice Collective that the State of Singapore must halt these executions and declare a moratorium on its use of capital punishment as first steps.

Singapore: execution warrants issued despite pending legal proceedings

Monday April 15, 9:00pm ET | Tuesday April 16, 9:00am PHT

As Mayor of Davao City and then President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte orchestrated a campaign of widespread extrajudicial killings in the Philippine drug war. Now the subject of an investigation by the International Criminal Court, the Duterte drug war according to the government has claimed more than 6,000 lives, while NGOs believe the true number is upwards of 30,000. Since late during the Duterte presidency and continuing under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., drug war killings reported by media outlets in the Philippines have continued at a rate of about one per day.

Adding to the the suffering of victims/survivors, burial plots rented by the government have expiration dates, leading to cremations when families can't pay or sometimes without their knowledge. In addition to the indignity, this is also a potential evidentiary issue for the ICC. The AJ Kalinga Foundation's Program Paghilom helps families make arrangements for their loved ones' remains, with ritual to provide closure, and conducts forensic examinations, as part of a support framework that includes education, legal support and other basic needs.

International Center for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma

, Founder and Executive Director, Rock Ed Philippines and head of its 

Fr. Flaviano Villanueva SVD is a leading human rights advocate in the Philippines. He will discuss the work of Program Paghilom, including its efforts to document and memorialize extrajudicial killings in the Duterte drug war while helping victims/survivors move forward with their lives.

Dr. Yael Danieli, a clinical psychologist, psychohistorian, victimologist and traumatologist, will discuss the challenges faced by victims/survivors of atrocities, the role of victims in relation to cases at the International Criminal Court, and the concept of reparative justice in international law. She will also discuss the impact that trauma from mass atrocities has on future generations, a phenomenon recognized by the ICC for the first time in the Uganda Dominic Ongwen prosecution.

Gang Badoy Capati is the founder of Rock Ed Philippines and Project: Steady Asia, and is a trauma therapist and trained media literacy instructor with a background in media, documentary filmmaking, education and publishing. She will discuss victims' trauma in the context of events and conditions in The Philippines.

Victims move forward from the Philippine drug war

This paper traces the roots of the barriers faced by womxn who use drugs to the international drug control system and subsequent national drug policies. It outlines international standards on public health and human rights that provide guidance on the reforms governments must urgently pursue. To elaborate on the needed reforms, the paper also presents country-specific recommendations from civil society organizations to governments in Southeast Asia.

Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: Navigating justice for womxn who use drugs in Southeast Asia

Tides are turning against those who instigated the war on drugs under the previous administration. Despite President Marcos’ pronouncement that he will “not lift a finger” to assist the International Criminal Court in its probe on former president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity, recent events have pointed to growing apprehension in the Duterte camp. The ongoing rift between the Dutertes and Marcoses further creates a fragile situation that will keep the drug war instigators constantly on their toes.

Undoubtedly, the arrest of Duterte and his ilk would be a big step toward justice for the drug war victims and their aggrieved families. But beyond Duterte’s arrest, there are critical issues fundamental to moving past the war on drugs. First, we must have a thorough accounting of the harm caused by this war; second, a progressive drug policy alternative must be laid out, and finally, we need to change the narrative toward a more humane approach to substance abuse.

Any effort for reform must start with a clear and honest assessment of what happened previously. The death toll is a common way to start. The number of deaths alone is enough to trigger outrage, although as the corpses piled up, the staggering numbers slowly lost their shock value. Near the end of Duterte’s term, only the organization Dahas continues to keep tabs on the death toll. Sadder still is the fact that the killings are just a sliver of the harm done. Children have to bear the trauma of seeing their fathers shot. Distrust prevails in barangays where neighbors and local officials listed “drug suspects” in their own community. Professional groups who were expected to push for an evidence-informed health policy fell silent, with some subscribing to the hegemony on substance use.

Philippine drug war won’t end with Duterte in jail

Indonesia appears to have chosen an authoritarian-minded former general with a harrowing human rights record as its next president. Preliminary results of the February 14 election gave Prabowo Subianto a commanding lead over his rivals, with an outright majority of votes. Counting continues, but if official results confirm this in March, he will take office on October 20 as the eighth president of the word’s fourth most-populous country.

Prabowo quickly declared victory. The other two candidates have not conceded, but have asked the Indonesia’s legislature to investigate electoral irregularities or potential fraud.

Prabowo is the son-in-law of former President Suharto, whose dictatorial rule from 1968-1998 was characterized by systemic human rights abuses. As a senior military commander under Suharto, Prabowo was implicated in a number of atrocities. He has also made comments suggesting he would like to rule Indonesia as a dictator. His rise to power could have devastating consequences for the diverse country’s most marginalized people—including people who use drugs, even given a brutal current drug war.

Prabowo entered the picture during the most notorious events of recent Indonesian history. From 1975 to 1999, Suharto’s regime invaded and occupied the island of East Timor, perpetrating torture, extrajudicial killings, massacres and sexual crimes in what is widely considered genocide.

Prabowo took part in this genocide when commanding Indonesian forces. According to journalist Allan Nairn in the 

 who interviewed Prabowo, the future president participated in a 1983 massacre in Kraras, and personally tortured people. Nairn, himself a survivor of another massacre in East Timor, also relates how in 1998, Prabowo tried to suppress protests in the last days of Suharto’s rule, by abducting and “disappearing” 13 democratic activists, while also encouraging killings and other crimes against ethnic Chinese Indonesians.

Fears for drug users and many others after Indonesia’s presidential election

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 5,791 people were arrested for various drug offences following a three-day nationwide special operation codenamed Ops Tapis Khas, says Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Kamarudin Md Din.

The Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director said suspected drug addicts accounted for the most arrests at 3,226, including four civil servants and two students.

"A student was among 534 drug pushers detained.

"We also detained 247 wanted persons as well as 1,784 individuals for other offences," he said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 1).

The special operation from Jan 29 to 31 also saw the seizure of 128.3kg of drugs worth RM610,071, he added.

"Among the drugs seized were 4.1kg of heroin, 4.02kg of syabu, 23.7kg of ecstasy powder and 8.7kg of ganja.

"The drugs seized could have been supplied to 287,530 addicts," he said.

More than RM900,000 of assets belonging to syndicates were also seized.

"Among them were vehicles worth RM876,500, jewellery worth RM18,600 and RM34,872 cash," Comm Mohd Kamarudin added.

He said the operation focused on Felda and Felcra areas, People's Housing Projects (PPR), jetties and suspected drug dens.

"Our objective was to track down and detain drug pushers and destroy drug dens.

"We also targeted hardcore addicts and those wanted for drug offences," he said.

Malaysia: Almost 6,000 detained nationwide in three-day anti-drug op

“The recent national election has seen a change in administration where the party of the prime minister had campaigned for much stricter drug policies,” says Gloria Lai, regional director of Asia for the International Drug Policy Consortium said. “The government has since announced that new laws regulating the cannabis market are expected to pass in mid-2024, which will aim to support only medical use of cannabis, with restrictions on the sale of certain cannabis products and related equipment.”

As Lai explained, this is highly likely to have an impact on the thousands of businesses that have made weed their income over the past 18 months. She has concerns that it will shut out small business owners and local farmers who have been able to make a livelihood from this. The market, she fears, will instead be left to elite or large organizations to profit.

In addition, potentially millions of Thai people, who may not be able to obtain a prescription, could either lose access or face harsh criminalization once again.

With economic factors no doubt a key factor in the initial decriminalization decision, the past year would have been the perfect opportunity for the government to study health and social outcomes of the policy, obtaining data to inform its next steps. However, Lai is unaware of any such studies being carried out.

The motives behind this re-regulation are as murky they were for the initial decriminalization, though Prime Minister Thavisin told 

 in September 2023 that drug problems had been “widespread lately.”

Inside Thailand’s U-Turn on cannabis decriminalization

Inside Thailand’s U-Turn on Cannabis Decriminalization

Gloria Lai, regional director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, also raised concerns over the government's decision to open drug rehab in the country's military camps. Ms Lai said Thailand has a history of violence and abuse related to drugs, and it still continues. Much violence and abuse, perpetrated by both military and law enforcement, took place during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration after he announced a zero-tolerance policy on drugs. The military are not health experts and should not be involved in the delivery of health services to the public, she said. "In addition, you have seen concerns of violence, including extrajudicial killings," she said.


"So, I think it is inappropriate for the military to take a bigger role, particularly in the provision of drug treatment services. "If the proposal is for the military to take over more work, strong justification as to why that is necessary will be needed," she added.


Ms Lai praised Thailand's efforts to reduce harm under its new Narcotic Codes. However, she said she is concerned compulsory treatment is still in place for people who use drugs.


"I think harm reduction, if you are going to make it voluntary, means you have to allow people a degree of freedom and liberty to choose what they like," she said.

East and South East Asia