Coup Remains Big Setback For Rights In Thailand

[jumnien]

From today's Bangkok Post:

HRW: Coup remains big setback for rights

(BangkokPost.com) - Prospects for Thailand's return of an elected government through free and fair elections remain "uncertain" and coup remains big setback for rights, New York-based Human Rights Watch said on coup anniversary on Wednesday.

"Thaksin's contempt for human rights and democracy was evident, but Thailand is worse off because of the coup,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

"Martial law remains in many areas of the country, there are greater restrictions on the media, and many key institutions such as the parliament, the Constitutional Tribunal, and the Election Commission have become tools of military rule," he said.

Adams also claimed that the new constitution "is actually a step backwards for Thailand."

"The problem in the past has been the inability of democratic institutions to function independently and check the misuse of power by the government and other vested interests, including those of the military. The military-sponsored constitution does not fix that problem, but instead allows key powers to be controlled and manipulated by appointees from the military and bureaucracy at the expense of elected leaders," he said.

Human Rights Watch called on Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and the military to keep their promises to lift martial law before the general elections to ensure free and fair polls and to stop making unlawful restrictions on the media and internet.

"Otherwise, the military risks a legacy of an unrepresentative parliament and government and the political instability that may follow," he said.