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Thai investors urged to focus on human rights abroad


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Thai investors urged to focus on human rights abroad

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

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Govt agencies admit low awareness of critical issue.

 

THAI OVERSEAS investors have been urged to respect human rights wherever they are doing business and work closely with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

 

Agencies that oversee direct investment in other countries met yesterday with the NHRC to report on their progress relating to Cabinet resolutions issued on May 16, 2016 and May 2, 2017, which called for Thai foreign investors to respect and protect the human rights of local people.

 

The resolution also called for investors to come up with strategies to prevent adverse impacts to the environment and local people’s livelihoods, and ordered relevant agencies to promote a good understanding among investors to respect human rights.

 

The agencies included the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Commerce Ministry, the Transport Ministry, the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI), the Bank of Thailand (BOT) and the National Economics and Social Development Board Office.

 

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Human rights were highlighted as a critical issue, as the NHRC has received 12 complaints about Thai investments in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, claiming projects harmed the environment and well-being of local people.

 

The complaints involved the Italian-Thai Development PCL’s operations in the Dawei Special Economic Zone in Myanmar, the Heinda tin mine by Myanmar Pongpipat, the Xayaburi Dam in Laos by Ch Kanchang and a sugar cane plantation land concession in Cambodia by Mitr Phol Group.

 

Natapanu Nopakun, a representative from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the ministry had always pushed the importance of human rights among Thai investors, although awareness on the issue was still low.

 

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“We understand the importance of protecting human rights of people in the countries where we invest, because their well-being is as important as that of the Thai people,” Natapanu said.

 

He said the ministry had studied the approach used by investors from South Korea, Sweden and Singapore to learn from those countries and come up with measures to monitor the issue and prevent negative impacts.

 

Atthasri Soithong, from the BOI, said that even though the policy was quite new for his organisation, the BOI had tried to encourage investors to comply with the law and regulations of the destination country.

 

Corporate social responsibility

 

“We do not have the power to benefit or control the investment abroad, because we are only a facilitator for Thai investors in other countries, but the nature of business is to avoid problems with local people,” Atthasri said.

 

“We have to balance between the profit for business and corporate social responsibility, as investing in other countries already has a high risk.”

 

Independent scholar Sarinee Achavanuntakul suggested that related agencies should work with the NHRC to ensure responsible investment through regular business surveillance.

 

“The heart of investment monitoring and negative impacts prevention is information transparency. The state regulators such as the BOI and the BOT should work proactively with the NHRC to monitor problematic investments and let investors explain their operations to the stakeholders,” Sarinee said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30326432

 
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-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-09-12
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2 hours ago, webfact said:

and work closely with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)

 

While I would support the idea that Thai companies should support human rights in their foreign investments, why would anybody "work closely with the NHRC"?

 

The NHRC is a neutered, degraded and impotent organization in today's Thailand.

 

Perhaps the NHRC should spend its time building credibility inside of Thailand before it worries too much about things outside of Thailand.

 

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10 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

While I would support the idea that Thai companies should support human rights in their foreign investments, why would anybody "work closely with the NHRC"?

 

The NHRC is a neutered, degraded and impotent organization in today's Thailand.

 

Perhaps the NHRC should spend its time building credibility inside of Thailand before it worries too much about things outside of Thailand.

 

It's all that and worse.Its commissioners are in the main unqualified bureaucrats and Junta stooges.The HRW has complained to the United Nations that these NHRC appointments are grotesque, and at a time when Thailand desperately needs proper scrutiny of human rights abuses.

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This kind of thinking slaps the very face of their own caste society culture, and, for a forward-thinking person, would challenge their belief systems. Therefore I do not believe change or respect of another person's human rights or cultures is possible. 

If they were serious and wanted to do it the right way, they would bring back the one straight copper who had the goods on all the powerful people who were involved in the fishing boat slave trade that was exposed by the New York Times.

FWIW, someone I know often sent emails to that journalist...

 

In tangentially related news, visa's for people who want to get Thai culture shoved down their throats are available.

 

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2 hours ago, jayboy said:

It's all that and worse.

NHRC was "decertified" in 2015 by the UN accreditation organization. It basically has only observer status at UN HRC meeting. Thai investors would do better to contact the HRC in whatever country they plan for investment.

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16 hours ago, Mickmouse1 said:

Bulls**** What rights many Hispanics have in the USA? How many people sleep rough in LA alone?  What about Burma??

What about poor Cambodians and Burmese workers in LOS??

Hispanics have full human rights including union, civil, political , employment rights. Rough sleepers exist but have many protections under the rule of law. What about Burma? It's been enslaved by the Burmese military. Regarding poor Burmese and Cambodians in Thailand : they came here because conditions are better for them just like Hispanics flock to the USA.

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