Human Rights Watch Thailand Report

[onomataho]

2007-12-12 - buried in the Bangkok Post

Thai coup leaders intervening to block Thaksin's popularity at polls, rights group says

Thailand's coup leaders have restricted campaigning and abused laws to block ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's influence on voters ahead of Dec. 23 elections, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.

Thaksin was deposed in a bloodless coup in September 2006 but his presence looms large over upcoming elections. He remains popular among rural voters, who benefited from his populist policies, despite widespread accusations of corruption and abuse of power.

"The military's efforts to restrict the campaign activities of Thaksin's allies should be of concern to all of Thailand's political parties," the New York-based rights group said in a statement.

Many key institutions, including the Election Commission, have become "tools of military rule" to remove Thaksin's influence, the statement said.

It said the "most blatant attempt" by the military to block Thaksin's popularity is a classified memo from the military council dated Sept. 14 that details various strategies for discrediting the People's Power Party, the reincarnation of Thaksin's ruling Thai Rak Thai party. TRT was dissolved after the coup.

The Election Commission ruled Wednesday that the memo, which was leaked to the media, did not violate any laws because none of the actions it outlined were taken.

The commission is also investigating the distribution of videos that feature Thaksin urging voters to support the People's Power Party. It will rule whether Thaksin violated a five-year ban on political activity by campaigning for his allies. If the videos are found to be illegal, PPP could be dissolved.

Human Rights Watch also noted martial law imposed after the coup remains in place in 31 of the country's 76 provinces, mostly in Thaksin strongholds in the north and northeast.

"Thai authorities used martial law to justify the repression of Thaksin's political allies and others opposed to the coup," the statement said. Under martial law, the military can ban political gatherings, censor the media and detain people without charge.

A spokesman for the Council of National Security, the body that comprises the coup leaders, denied that the military had any involvement in the run-up to elections.

"We are trying to be a neutral party," said the spokesman, Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, adding the "military has no intention to obstruct any political party from campaigning."

He also said "martial law has nothing to do with politics" and does not interfere with voters' ability to cast ballots.

Human Rights Watch criticized parties across the political spectrum for failing to make human rights part of their platforms, notably the situation in southern Thailand where a Muslim insurgency has killed more than 2,600 people since 2004.

"It's not a matter of human rights taking a back seat in the Thai elections, they are simply not even present," the statement said.

[howtoescape]

Thaksin was deposed in a bloodless coup in September 2006 but his presence looms large over upcoming elections. He remains popular among rural voters, who benefited from his populist policies, despite widespread accusations of corruption and abuse of power.

Why are policies that benefit the poor called populist policies, surely they are just policies.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thaksin was deposed in a bloodless coup in September 2006 but his presence looms large over upcoming elections. He remains popular among rural voters, who benefited from his populist policies, despite widespread accusations of corruption and abuse of power.

Why are policies that benefit the poor called populist policies, surely they are just policies.

To the ruling elite, policies that benefit the poor are unjust policies!

[londonthai]

If the videos are found to be illegal, PPP could be dissolved.

what the commision means 'illegal videos'?

if they are thinking about dissolving a political party because of some outside video they are manipulating the political life and threatening the election results

[Prakanong]

A thread about the state of human rights in Thaiand and hardly any respondents

Then a thread about lack of booze for two extra days and the sky is falling in!

[pete_r]

Here we go, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Thai: http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/thj.htm

I would suggest that the esteemed board members print it and give it to read to their Thai friends. Reactions may be enlightening.

According to my wife, this text was never taught all through her studies in the Thai education system. She read it first in English.

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood...

[Prakanong]

Here we go, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Thai: http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/thj.htm

I would suggest that the esteemed board members print it and give it to read to their Thai friends. Reactions may be enlightening.

According to my wife, this text was never taught all through her studies in the Thai education system. She read it first in English.

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood...

To be fair I reckon the vast majority of people in the world including the west do not even know about it never mind read it.

I never saw it at school and came across it while studying politics at Uni.

[PeaceBlondie]

I never read that declaration, either. But my friend Antonio Gutierrez, an amazingly brave Christian pacifist, enlightened the municpal (county) elders in Chiapas, Mexico, by telling them at a Red Cross-sponsored meeting that he had read the national constitution and the UN Declaration of Human Rights, in Spanish, and he knew that the local authorities were sworn to protect HIS rights! Oh, that Thailand had peasants like Antonio.

[seonai]

Article 19 is the right to freedom of speech

[kat]

A thread about the state of human rights in Thaiand and hardly any respondents

Then a thread about lack of booze for two extra days and the sky is falling in!

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's because some of us are burnt out.

[WaiWai]

A thread about the state of human rights in Thaiand and hardly any respondents

Then a thread about lack of booze for two extra days and the sky is falling in!

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's because some of us are burnt out.

Or just Australian and had no clue !

[pete_r]

To be fair I reckon the vast majority of people in the world including the west do not even know about it never mind read it.

I never saw it at school and came across it while studying politics at Uni.

Here goes another of my illusions! I see this text as one of the key accomplishments of Western culture, and thought it was widely taught at least across Europe and the USA (given that the declaration was "invented" in Europe and that the UN headquarters are in New-York).

How about other texts like the habeas corpus? I would think UK schools teach it for historical reasons, but is there also a lack of awareness in other English speaking countries (USA, Australia...)?

[kat]

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with you, Pete.

[paulsmithson]

Lets not get on our high horses. In Europe you are allowed free speech---!

Rubbish

You are free to say only what the governmnets have not declared illegal!

Holocaust denial???????

So many other infingements of free speech

come on lets get real

[kat]

Yes, but with free speech you can refute rubbish. In other countries, you are simply shot.

[Prakanong]

A thread about the state of human rights in Thaiand and hardly any respondents

Then a thread about lack of booze for two extra days and the sky is falling in!

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's because some of us are burnt out.

Yes you are right - time to wind down for this year to get ready for a flying start on 08

[Prakanong]

To be fair I reckon the vast majority of people in the world including the west do not even know about it never mind read it.

I never saw it at school and came across it while studying politics at Uni.

Here goes another of my illusions! I see this text as one of the key accomplishments of Western culture, and thought it was widely taught at least across Europe and the USA (given that the declaration was "invented" in Europe and that the UN headquarters are in New-York).

How about other texts like the habeas corpus? I would think UK schools teach it for historical reasons, but is there also a lack of awareness in other English speaking countries (USA, Australia...)?

I do not know how history is taught now back in the 70's I can not remember doing anything like this - as I say it was at Uni.

When at Uni your were expected to know certain things - they would not spoon feed you the facts (of course some were used in lectures to illustrate) but supply the models for you.

[Prakanong]

Lets not get on our high horses. In Europe you are allowed free speech---!

Rubbish

You are free to say only what the governmnets have not declared illegal!

Holocaust denial???????

So many other infingements of free speech

come on lets get real

It was my view while studying politics at Uni in the Uk in the 80's that we should lett tossers like Irving speak so he could be shown for what he was - a charlatan.

What are your other examples?

Do you think you can speak more freely where you are now?