9 replies to this topic

[DOLLY]

The website Prachatai, which is currently being blocked in Thailand, has reprinted in full a letter sent by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) based in Hong Kong, calling Prime Minister's Abhisit's attention to the violation of human rights in Thailand in the treatment of alleged red shirts who were shot during the crackdown in Bangkok.

Two Thai men are specifically identified as having been unarmed civilians who were shot multiple times by soldiers at different locations and who were then confined in shackles in hospital, with no evidence that they committed any crime or act deemed to be in violation of the emergency decree.

This is part of the letter from AHRC:

For many years, the AHRC and other concerned organisations and individuals have voiced outrage at the shackling and otherwise barbaric treatment of accused criminal prisoners in Thailand. In the aftermath of the crackdown on the protests, there are also many reports of persons detained under the Emergency Decree in ambiguous and uncertain circumstances being similarly ill-treated.

As Thailand is now a member of the UN Human Rights Council, it should not be necessary for the AHRC to remind your government of its obligations under international law; however, in light of the many reports of the sort cited above in recent days, we draw your attention to the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, under Rule 33 of which "chains or irons shall not be used as restraints" and other instruments of restraint shall be used only during a transfer of detainees as a precaution against escape, on medical grounds by order of a medical officer, or as a means to prevent self harm. Clearly, none of these circumstances apply in the cases described above.

The government of Thailand should be further aware that under the UN Convention against Torture, to which it is a party, the chaining of wounded detainees could constitute an act of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment that would place it in clear violation of its responsibilities under international law. "

The letter concludes:

"We again call upon your government to lift the state of emergency without any further delay and return your country to the rule of law rather than rule by decree and the de facto military administration under which it has been placed in recent weeks."

http://cooloo.org/browse.php?u=Oi8vd3d3LnB...OTU%3D&b=13

[Hedda]

It goes without saying that Thailand's Human Rights Commission, whose newest members were highly suspect when proposed by the government last year, has performed deplorably in not calling for the return the country to some semblance of the rule of law, not the military edicts of the CRES. Indeed, this Abhisit government has done exactly what Thaksin was accused of doing during his term in office: stacking these "independent" agencies with cronies. The big difference is that Thaksin was elected by the people, while the men calling the shots behind Abhisit have never stood for an election in their life.

[gay_grampa]

Thailand is selected for presidency of UNHRC, according to Foreign Minister´s Secretary

BANGKOK (NNT) – Forty-one countries count on Thailand as one of the five countries holding the presidency of The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Secretary to Foreign Minister Chavanond Intarakomalyasut stated that Thailand was the first country in ASEAN to be selected as the president of UNHRC. It will also be an opportunity of the country to regain reputation and clarify on the human right violating case during political demonstration, saying that the government had followed peaceful measure and gave the right to protesters to demonstrate.

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system, comprising 47 States responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The Council was created by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.

National News Bureau of Thailand

A card player tells me that UNHCR trumps AHRC

[Taxi driver]

A card player tells me that UNHCR trumps AHRC

You better stick to Hearts, you old fart, because you don't know diddle about politics. Did you happen to notice that Libya, one of the most repressive dictatorships in the world, was also elected to the UNHCR along with Thailand ? The selection was based on geography, with Thailand being the new Asian representative.

If you knew anything about the matter, you'd know that the UNHCR has become a bad joke among most democracies at the UN. The council is controlled by a bloc of Islamic and African states, backed by China and Russia, who protect each other from criticism of their own civil rights records and usually condemn only Israel. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson have both criticized the council for protecting its members, not human rights.

If you think that a PR announcement from the News Bureau of Thailand means anything about protecting civil rights in Thailand, you are a bigger fool than I thought. Stick to something you know something about, like Viagra.

[Haloi]

The selection was based on geography, with Thailand being the new Asian representative.

That's exactly right:

The U.N. Human Rights Council has unanimously elected Thailand's ambassador in Geneva as its president for the coming year.Sihasak Phuangketkeow succeeds Belgium's Alex Van Meeuwen after being nominated as the Asian region's sole candidate.

Asia is entitled to name the new chair under rules intended to ensure that each region holds the rotating presidency of the 47-member council every five years.

Phuangketkeow's election Monday follows criticism by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights of the recent violent protests in Thailand. Navi Pillay last month urged the Thai government to ensure an independent investigation of the street clashes in which some 90 people died and about 1,800 were wounded.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...p3mP8gD9GFKQEG2
_____________________
I suppose we should be thankful Asia didn't pick Burma.

[Kirkland]

It looks like Grampa and Abhisit are on the save wave length:

"The selection of Thailand's ambassador to the UN in Geneva as the UN Human Rights Council's president shows that the international community has a good understanding of the situation here, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.

The 40-some countries on the council must have considered Sihasak Phuangketkeow's candidacy well before backing him as the fifth head of the agency tackling human rights violations worldwide, he said. Since the United States, EU and ASEAN expressed no criticism over Thailand in their statements, they had accepted the Thai government's handling of the recent political chaos, he said."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/...r-30132194.html

[gay_grampa]

It looks like Grampa and Abhisit are on the save wave length:

"The selection of Thailand's ambassador to the UN in Geneva as the UN Human Rights Council's president shows that the international community has a good understanding of the situation here, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.

The 40-some countries on the council must have considered Sihasak Phuangketkeow's candidacy well before backing him as the fifth head of the agency tackling human rights violations worldwide, he said. Since the United States, EU and ASEAN expressed no criticism over Thailand in their statements, they had accepted the Thai government's handling of the recent political chaos, he said."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/...r-30132194.html

Thank you for the compliment.

I also think it's worth repeating:
"The 40-some countries on the council must have considered Sihasak Phuangketkeow's candidacy well before backing him as the fifth head of the agency tackling human rights violations worldwide, he said. Since the United States, EU and ASEAN expressed no criticism over Thailand in their statements, they had accepted the Thai government's handling of the recent political chaos, he said."

[GayTroller]

Thank you for the compliment.

I don't think he meant it as a compliment.

[Bob]

Since the United States, EU and ASEAN expressed no criticism over Thailand in their statements, they had accepted the Thai government's handling of the recent political chaos, he said."[/b]

"Acceptance" in this case, I believe, is based on the philosophy that things could be worse - versus any acceptance (in the sense of being pleased) with anything the Thai government has done lately. In my view, the US is rather disappointed in the fuedal, third-world, nature of the Thai government and elite and probably additionally disappointed that there appears to be no popular figure in Thailand (Thailand's Aung Su Kyi, if you will) who has the balls to stand up and publicly excoriate the system that's allowed and encouraged the idiocy we've seen occur for the last 5 years.

[Taxi driver]

Nobody seems to have noticed that Thailand was the only country nominated, so there was no one else to vote for. Moreover, these illustrious members also elected Cuba's Ambassador as the Vice-President of the UNHRC, which suggests that a country's record on preserving human rights was the furthest thing on their mind in voting. I can't wait to hear Grampa tell us what a sterling human rights record Cuba has. I will grant you one thing: Abhisit has the same aversion to elections as Castro.