Amnesty International urges Thailand to revoke repressive laws

[1happykamper]

Sadly nothing will change. A person's life in Thailand has no value. 2000 baht fine for killing a cyclist while driving a car is just one tiny example.

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[Chalee53]

14 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Yet another pissing against the wind exercise by Amnesty International. Doing nothing more than justifying their existence and fat salaries.

and expenses..

 

[Rc2702]

I've known a few of these NGO types and I was not shocked when I read about the oxfam Haiti scandal and that is the tip of a very big iceberg across all the charities who recycle staff. The charity workers will hopefully come under a lot of scrutiny in future, houseso need to be in order before you can point the finger again. 

[JemJem]

Or what ?!  What can Amnesty International do, by itself or via influencing some world powers, like the US and China ? Sadly, virtually nothing.

 

Amnesty International (and some other international bodies) have been 'expressing concern' etc.  regarding human rights in some countries, including  my country Turkey ? What changes do all this have ? Virtually none unfortunately !

 

In the end, money and strategic interests almost always win to a large degree unfortunately.

Edited February 23, 2018 by JemJem

[Air Smiles]

Quote

....to stop trying civilians in the military court.

Just like Israel does.

[Air Smiles]

15 hours ago, Mark1066 said:

If Westerners were as morally upstanding and as concerned about human rights as posters on here imply, they would stop visiting Thailand until the human rights abuses stopped. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Westerners couldn't give a stuff about human rights abuses in foreign countries hence they never use the collective power they have to bring about change. Lip service is a very apt description of their attitude toward freedom of speech in other countries.

 

Good post, the vast majority of Thai bashers on this forum live in Thailand thus donate money almost every day to "the junta" they claim to hate so much.  In reality they love "the junta" as it gives them an excuse to bitch and moan every day which brings some relief to their empty unhappy lives in Thailand.

 

 

[Damrongsak]

17 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

The very definition of a weak bully.

 

Thais by nature work on extortion, bullying and coercion. The strong bully the weak. In all sectors of Thai society, that is how the hierarchy is developed and maintained. 

40 years ago when I was a Peace Corps volunteer, our small Land Development Department office in Loei got a new boss. Piece of work.  I don't know the details, but at one time he threatened to kill one of our workers who was the plow tractor driver.  The driver was a very nice local guy and was very, very shaken.  I have no clue as to exactly what happened to precipitate that.  Imagined slight?  Perceived insubordination?  Or the boss had some scam in the works.  I hated that chubby little F!  He had the gall to question why I wasn't serving him Courvoisier Cognac at my wedding that he was invited to.  Johnnie Walker Black apparently wasn't good enough.

[William C F Pierce]

On 22/02/2018 at 9:46 PM, webfact said:

Thailand ‘short of normal standards’

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

 

Amnesty report says rights defenders are facing more intimidation from governments and businesses.

 

LACK OF FREEDOM of expression has become the most prominent human rights issue globally and Thailand also fails to meet normal standards, Amnesty International said yesterday.

 

 

The NGO yesterday unveiled its 2017 report on human rights in Bangkok and revealed that defenders of human rights in Thailand and across the world are facing more intense intimidation and prosecution from the state and business sector.

 

Amnesty International has reviewed 159 countries around the globe and provided the recommendations for each country to improve their human rights protection.

 

Salil Shetty, secretary-general of Amnesty International, said that freedom of expression was one of the most serious human rights issues this year, as the governments of many countries were suppressing human rights defenders and over 100 activists were killed last year to silence them.

 

“In 2018, we cannot take for granted that we will be free to gather together in protest or to criticise our governments. In fact, speaking out is becoming more dangerous,” Shetty said.

 

The report noted that Turkey, Egypt and China were among the top offenders for imprisoning journalists for criticising the government, and Amnesty International itself also faced problems campaigning for human rights in Turkey and Hungary.

 

The situation in Thailand was not different, Amnesty International Thailand’s Director Piyanut Kotsan, said.

 

“The situation of human rights violation in Thailand under the administration of the Prime Minister and head of National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) is still considered very poor, as the junta still exercises the absolute power of Article 44 of the interim Charter to stop any political activists exercising freedom of expression,” Piyanut said.

 

“Many citizens are still being held in unofficial custody, civilians are still being prosecuted in the military court, and freedom of expression and gatherings in public are limited by the use of NCPO order 3/2558, which bans the gathering of more than five persons for political protest.”

 

She said the recent prosecution of the group of democratic activists known as “MBK39” showed the government did not respect the rights and freedom of the people and they did not really cherish human rights protection.

 

She urged the junta to revoke NCPO order 3/2558 and other laws that diminish freedom of speech and expression by citizens and ensure that the violation of the people’s freedoms will not happen again.

 

 

The demand to allow freedom of expression was one of the NGO’s seven recommendations to the Thai government.

 

The other suggestions included improving interrogation strategies to solve the southern insurgency, pass a law to prevent torture and enforced disappearances, stop prosecutions against human rights defenders, respect the non-refoulement of refugees, abolish the death sentence, and amend the lese majeste law.

 

Meanwhile, NCPO spokesperson Colonel Winthai Suvaree said that the NCPO order 3/2558 is a vital tool to keep peace and order in the society and this regulation does not violate the freedom of most people.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30339475

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-23

"does not violate the freedom of most people"? Thats because most are cowed into silence with the restriction AI mentions. Makes you wonder if they are students of the Putin school of control, control, control.

[anon537687643]

“Fails to meet normal standards “ Could have pages of examples where Thailand fits that phrase ! Not just freedom of expression !


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