Experts sceptical of govt’s sudden interest in human rights

By KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION 

 

HUMAN RIGHTS advocates yesterday expressed scepticism at the junta-backed government’s latest attempt to make “human rights” a national agenda item, saying violations by the regime remain a daily reality.

 

To make the announcement meaningful, the coup-installed regime should at least allow freedom of expression, which has been widely suppressed since the junta came to power, the activists said.

 

The comments came after the government on Tuesday announced after its weekly Cabinet meeting that the human rights issue would be added to the national agenda, from next year to 2019. All government agencies would be instructed to carry out policies to improve the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, said Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

 

The move, however, was seen by many people as well as netizens, as a joke. Some of them pointed to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and its government as part of the problem.

 

Sunai Phasuk, a veteran human rights advocate, mocked the announcement, saying it was bogus as the junta has made human rights violations a daily reality. “It is very ironic to announce human rights would be on the national agenda when simultaneously the regime is threatening to sue critics and put them in jail citing computer crimes,” the senior researcher at Human Rights Watch said. 

 

It was on top of several other violations of human rights by the regime such as arbitrary detention and the restriction on press freedom, Sunai said. 

 

He said if the regime was really serious about human rights, it should have lifted repressive orders issued under the powers of Article 44, he said. That way, it would have seemed much more sincere and meaningful, he added.

 

Another rights advocate, Chamnan Chanruang, stressed that the matter had been raised by the Justice Ministry as a master plan for a grand scheme. The junta government recently coined a buzzword ‘Thailand 4.0’, making it seem related to itself, he explained. 

 

So, on the surface it may look good but the regime’s behaviour should be taken into consideration as well, the former chairman of the Amnesty International Thailand said. His impression was that the regime’s actions had not been in line with human rights, he added.

 

Thailand’s rights situation had recently been scrutinised by the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and it was found that the government had yet to fulfil its obligations, he pointed out. Restrictions on free speech and on political gatherings, on top of other violations, have remained unchanged, he said. 

 

These restrictions make the announcement concerning human rights in the national agenda meaningless unless the NCPO actually repeals its oppressive orders and frees all political prisoners, Chamnan said. 

 

Nirun Phitakwatchara, a former member of the National Human Rights Commission, said that after making such an announcement, the government should strive to improve the democratic atmosphere in the country, too. 

 

For starters, it could review the orders that may have affected people’s rights such as those involving freedom of expression, academic freedom, and right to political gatherings, he said. 

 

Such freedom could help, given an election was taking shape, Nirun said. Unless people could exercise their rights and freedom, the election would not be considered free and fair and the elected government may not be very well accepted either, he added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30332287

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-23

Maybe it has something to do with a "possible" up coming election ???

Got to get their campaigning going whilst everyone else is still subject to a ban :)

9 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

Maybe it has something to do with a "possible" up coming election ???

Got to get their campaigning going whilst everyone else is still subject to a ban :)

 

But, but, but... the General isn't a politician! He has said so many times.

Critics are spot on with their observations. The Junta have no genuine interest in Human Rights, other than to abuse them as much as they can get away with. The whole thing is just a show to pretend to outside agencies that the matter is being addressed. To even suggest they care about rights, while threatening people who criticise them, is just laughable. They care only about their image.

"The move, however, was seen by many people as well as netizens, as a joke. Some of them pointed to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and its government as part of the problem"... you don't say.   I guess these people who view as a joke are not the many Thai people steven100 claims to have questioned on the matter where he lives. 

Everyone has an agenda, including the so called 'experts.'  "Human Rights" is a topic open to exploitation on multiple levels by multiple parties on both sides of the equation.  There are not a lot of innocence in this game other than those directly being exploited. 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

and it was found that the government had yet to fulfil its obligations, he pointed out.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021...........................

6 hours ago, webfact said:

HUMAN RIGHTS advocates yesterday expressed scepticism at the junta-backed government’s latest attempt to make “human rights” a national agenda item, saying violations by the regime remain a daily reality.

it is called Hypocrisy

 

 

Telling a big lie is oh so easy in a country where pointing out that a liar is a liar...........is a crime.

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 20178 yr by Enoon

7 hours ago, webfact said:

ll government agencies would be instructed to carry out policies to improve the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, said Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

This will seat nicely with other classics like " I am a democratic soldier" or Prawit's gem on cadet death by saying "don't join the military".