DHAKA: The United Nations said on Wednesday it was ‘seriously concerned’ about growing restrictions on human rights activists in Thailand after a string of curbs on freedom of expression in the junta-ruled nation.

Since seizing power from the elected government in May, the Thai army has stifled dissent by hauling in anti-coup protesters, muzzling the media and threatening those found in breach of martial law with trial in a military court.

The UN Human Rights Office for South-east Asia (OHCHR) pointed to ‘a deteriorating environment for human rights defenders’ a day after activists said they scrapped a debate about access to justice in post-coup Thailand due to pressure from the junta.

‘(The OHCHR) is seriously concerned about increasing restrictions on human rights defenders in exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and expression in Thailand,’ it said in a statement, calling on the country to honour its international human rights obligations, reports The Straits Times.

On Tuesday, authors of a report on rights in Thailand since the coup said they received phone calls from military officers warning them against holding a discussion on the subject as it could be in violation of a ban on public gatherings.

BDST: 1310 HRS, SEP 03, 2014