NHRC to probe Army’s ‘special measures’ in Pattani district

By Chularat Saengpassa 
The Nation

 

 

THE National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken up a complaint by Pattani residents against the Fourth Army Region’s declaration of “special control zones” in Nong Chik district.

 

 

Since Sunday, Army troops in tambons Bang Khao and Tha Kham Cham have been conducting house raids, detaining suspects and getting people to surrender their firearms and vehicles for inspection, NHRC member Angkhana Neelapaijit said yesterday.

 

The “special zone” declaration will be in effect until Sunday. 

 

 

After receiving the complaint on Monday, Angkhana said the NHRC will check to see if the Army measures taken were legal or merely heavy-handed intimidation. 

 

The complaint was filed by families whose relatives were detained for questioning over a September 11 ambush that killed two soldiers and wounded four others. The families say they fear the suspects might be beaten or tortured into confessing, Angkhana said. 

 

She said the NHRC will study the information provided by the plaintiffs and seek additional data if required. She added that, so far, the families had been permitted to visit their relatives in custody.

 

 

The authorities have said that three of the eight suspects detained have confessed to taking part in the ambush. 

 

The Forward Command of the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 has given residents until Sunday to surrender any weapons and ammunition, but also vehicles – including boats and motorcycles – for examination at the Nong Chik District Office. 

 

 

Angkhana said the NHRC would ask the Fourth Army Region chief to explain why the inspection of vehicles was necessary, adding that many residents were uneasy about this because some vehicles had been purchased by people living in Malaysia for their relatives living in Nong Chik. 

 

“If they fail to present the vehicles for inspection, they could undergo undue scrutiny,” she said, adding that many saw this as a witch-hunt. 

 

However, Nong Chik district official Hatthaya Taemamu said the requirement to check weapons and vehicles was not a move to find fault, but to ensure peace and order in the community. 

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30354907

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-21

"...NHRC to probe Army’s ‘special measures’ in Pattani district..."

 

The situation in the south of Thailand is a difficult and complex problem with no easy solution; any measures that provide for peace will have to balance culture, economics, security, politics, social factors and a great deal more. It is a sad thing to say, but solutions to issues like this tend to take many years; it is unfortunate for all concerned that it will likely continue for many more years.

 

Perhaps the saddest factor of all is the degradation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ability to function and to be a credible voice in this affair. Insurgencies like this one need to have credible, outside, non-military voices that can provide an independent view listened to by all sides, and in other circumstances the NHRC could have provided that voice.

 

The NHRC to probe Army's 'Special Measures' in Pattani? 

 

Who will care? Who will take it seriously? Who believes that anything will come out of the probe? Who believes that the NHRC will even have proper access? And, sadly, even if the NHRC identifies problems, who will listen?

 

The NHRC has been degraded to the point of uselessness. Their concern regarding the situation in the South could, in better circumstances, assist greatly in finding a solution. However, due to its current lack of status and/or influence, it can do little or nothing.

 

Sadly...

 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

merely heavy-handed intimidation

"merrily heavy-handed intimidation" might be more accurate.

4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

The NHRC has been degraded to the point of uselessness.

It lost is accreditation with the UN in 2015 in large part due to its dominance by the junta.

4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

even if the NHRC identifies problems, who will listen?

Only Prayut will see any report draft as according to the Constitution NHRC must submit its report to the Executive branch for (paraphrasing) any corrections, rewrites or deletions - especially to protect the reputation of the nation (aka the junta?). The Prayut government basically will decide what report content is released to the public. The NHRC is not in practice an independent or constitutional organization.

 

Pattani citizens would do better to also petition the NACC and The Ombudsman. Though like the NHRC they are basically supportive of the Prayut government. But a preponderance of rejection from various agencies would further demonstrate the fallacy of human rights being respected and protected in Thailand. Hopefully an NGO will enter the fray to boost grassroots support for Pattani citizens.