Public Assembly Observation Network by CSOs to start working on 19 May

By The Nation

 

 

Members of Thailand's CSOs launches today the "Public Assembly Observation and Documentation for Human Rights" to monitor and document what happens at a public assembly using a human rights based approach. Its operation will debut on 19 May.

 

Members of the Public Assembly Observation and Documentation for Human Rights are composed of volunteers interested and concerned with human rights. They will have received training, exchange of knowledge and skills on public assembly observation and documentation on par with international standards.

 

Part of the curriculum will be derived from training courses offered by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) and the training will be facilitated by nonviolence experts.

 

According to Piyanut Kotsan, a spokesperson for the Public Assembly Observation and Documentation for Human Rights, the network has been banded together with an aim to streamline and justify the roles of observers making their roles distinct from those participating in a public assembly. They are there simply to document the realities utilizing human rights indicators and to practice their skills in observing a public assembly professionally.

 

"Principally, an observer shall neither make a comment with regard to the public assembly nor act in any way to encourage or demoralize those who want to participate in the public assembly. Most importantly, an observer shall not participate or get involved in whatever way with the public assembly. Their role is to observe, take down note, and compile relevant information in order to produce a report for dissemination among individuals and agencies."

 

Piyanut adds that the right to peaceful public assembly is a fundamental human right and everyone should be protected when exercising such right including the right to freedom of expression, association and public assembly.

 

Government of a democratic state shall not restrict the right to peaceful public assembly since it is protected by international human rights laws.

 

The Network announces that its first public assembly observation shall take place on Saturday 19 May at the Ratchaprasong Intersection where there shall be a commemoration of the suppression of a public assembly eight years ago.

 

Members of the Network shall wear a sign and a green and yellow jersey with the word "observers" prominently shown on it to differentiate them from other demonstrators.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30345748

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-19

Good on CSOs for taking a step like this; it is one thing to ban assembly of people demonstrating for a specific cause, it is another to stop people from merely monitoring and documenting efforts to stop free expression.

 

BTW, not all TVF members might be familiar with the term CSO. It stands for Civil Society Organization and while there is not one standard definition (actually, there are many), my favourite is;

 

"A group of people, outside of family, business or government, who band together to promote common cause(s)."

 

Essentially, CSOs are groups of people who, for whatever reason, can't be bothered joining the usual channels for public action or discourse. Or put another way, people who have lives but still want to work to see a better place/country/city/world/etc. I think they are wonderful!

 

Good Luck and God Speed to the CSOs; more often than not they are drivers of positive change in a society.

 

This how fight military government.

Watch+report. Watch+report.

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Their role is to observe, take down note, and compile relevant information in order to produce a report for dissemination among individuals and agencies."

Somehow I think that the junta will still find an excuse to sweep up these people off the street for attitude adjustments and/or criminal charges if the protests overall prove too successful, ie., embarrassing the junta.

The junta is not constrained by UN criteria or expectations for humane behavior. It only needs to cite that the presence of CSOs in or about any junta-deemed illegal protest causes public confusion that is a potential danger to national security - goodbye observers.

38 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Somehow I think that the junta will still find an excuse to sweep up these people off the street for attitude adjustments and/or criminal charges if the protests overall prove too successful, ie., embarrassing the junta.

The junta is not constrained by UN criteria or expectations for humane behavior. It only needs to cite that the presence of CSOs in or about any junta-deemed illegal protest causes public confusion that is a potential danger to national security - goodbye observers.

This is one of the rare occasions where I disagree with one of your (excellent!) posts.

 

Unfortunately, I can't offer links to source material (as you so often do) as I base my post on my experience in working for and with many, many UN/UN Agency projects over many years.

 

CSO monitoring groups are treated a bit different from advocacy CSOs and/or 'political' CSOs by the UN; they are an integral aspect (if at all possible) of most/all UN/UN Agency projects as they have a certain 'in-built' credibility of independence and "grassrootedness" (if I may make up a word ). And it is that 'in-built' credibility which affords them a certain amount of protection and ensures that if they are mistreated, it will be noticed and remarked upon.

 

It is true that the Junta in particular is not constrained by the UN, nor is Thailand in general (Didn't Thaksin say something like "the UN is not my father"). However, if the Junta makes a move against peaceful monitoring groups (in contrast with cause/political groups), it will be noted, it will be documented and likely will be publicly commented on. Is that going to stop the Junta? Not likely, but it would embarrass them and I do believe that the Junta would prefer to avoid that. 

 

The UN is powerless in many many ways, yet when it speaks aloud people usually listen. Thailand under the Junta doesn't have a great international reputation and I believe that the Junta will hesitate a bit in going after monitoring CSOs in the run up to an election as it would just look bad.

 

However, logical/rational behaviour by a Thai Junta? We'll have to wait and see...

 

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I do believe that the Junta would prefer to avoid that. 

Junta leadership is reactive, not proactive.

Conserving energy until its needed is fundamental to military strategy.

It has been typical of Prayut to dismiss foreign criticism as not understanding the Thai culture and traditions. So I don't believe that the junta would prefer to avoid embarrassment. It's nonproductive.

So no more than 5+ people? Does the punishment become more severe the more people it is who assemble? Jesus! What would you get, for example, if 30,000 people got together in a park or football stadium, etc?