Commentary, End The Abuse

[marshbags]

Perspective, Bangkok Post, Sunday May 04, 2008 COMMENTARY

End the abuse

THONGBAI THONGPAO

Despite the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) under the 1997 Constitution, human rights abuse is rampant in our country. Less privileged people all over the country are still being taken advantage of by wealthy businessmen, state agencies and officials, and even the government itself, primarily due to their lack of knowledge about laws and civil rights, and because of limited resources and means to protect themselves.

Some progress, however, has taken place in the Northeast, a region long plagued by poverty and lack of education. A seminar on human rights protection was held late last month by the NHRC and Khon Kaen University. The participants were activists from the northeastern provinces and representatives from several universities in the region.

Numerous cases of human rights abuse were reported, mostly by villagers who have been charged with trespassing on public and military land. In a number of cases, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand laid high-voltage power transmission lines over private land, resulting in the landowners not being able to pledge their plots as collateral for loans. In one case, businessmen were allowed to rent land in reserved forests but landless villagers who have lived there forever were arrested for trespassing.

In Udon Thani, villagers affected by potash mining concessioned without their knowledge were arrested when they protested against it. The most pathetic case of all is the arrest of a villager who had just given birth to twins less than a month before. The police kept her in jail at a police station, leaving her babies screaming in hunger.

Unquote.

ref url for more :- http://www.bangkokpost.com/040508_Perspect...008_pers005.php

Perhaps, rather than change the present constitution for self interests, the powers that be should concentrate on overdue implementation of more important issues that were established in the much referred to 1997 version, they all wish to reinstate.

Then again, this particular section, we have to accept was written to benefit ALL Thailand, and especially to protect the less privileged members of society from open everyday PUYAI abuse and well know rampant greed ect. ect.

The present enforcers of Thai law as they conveniently see it , would not of course on the whole be in a position to benefit should the ongoing investigations be proven as many of them will no longer be in office.

Nor come to that will they have priviledged positions in government for the next five years.

Now there,s a happy note / thought to end on.

marshbags

Edited May 11, 2008 by marshbags

[kmart]

Another ivory tower edict from the BP written by someone who has never been out of Bangkok, talks how awful human rights abuses are, but still pays bribes to cops.

[wilko]

I can't see anything inaccurate about the OP...but I don't see it covers anything new either....if you think that humans rights abuse doesn't exist in Thailand you are seriously mistaken....fi you think it's OK then I feel sorry for you....

[marshbags]

I can't see anything inaccurate about the OP...but I don't see it covers anything new either....if you think that humans rights abuse doesn't exist in Thailand you are seriously mistaken....fi you think it's OK then I feel sorry for you....

Most members worth their salt can not only verify the sample of H.Rights as per article.

The list can easily be expanded upon by the way, many, many, times over.

The point of my posting the O.P is as you rightly observe, Wilko, is " nothing new either." and is as far as i,m concerned now a good time to add a few more deserving lapses of the last TEN / ELEVEN YEARS, and a genuine thanks for making that point.

It is a timely reminder that we should not loose track of pathetic reference to the 1997 constitution being a more just one should we believe all the self interest motivated verbal that is being rammed down the throats of Thailands citizens and the international community on a daily basis, while blatantly ignoring instances like these.

Should they be even the slightest bit concerned about re writting or reinstating parts of the 1997 as per a certain banned TRT submisssion at the time, then let them first concentrate of more deserving points of interest as per Thai citizens as a whole and make sure they are / have been carried out according to the then new constitution. ( 1997 )

A certain little word from the dictionary covers their motives well and i,ll highlight it in bold......

As in most of what the governments mix and match, band of scavengers are doing since coming to power ( via minipulation and bribing, let us not forget by the way ) they come across as disingenuos to say the least.

Especially the ex lawyer of Thaksin who in my personal opinion insults everyones intelligence with his daily observations and pathetic attempts at trying to justify their reasons for wanting to change the new constitution and in particular sections that by coincidence will / could get his ex boss and the rest of his coherts out of jail and back into power.

God help us all, who have more than a fleeting interest in Thailands future, if this happens.

marshbags

P.S.

Another little masterclass after thought that was added regarding the most dangerous of all those noted in the article when it comes to health and safety that only the likes of Thaksin could approve, while totally ignoring the implications of, is beyond human belief.

The one that covers the potash mining projects that brought condemnation from the international community and H.Rights at the time.

" Villagers were particularly perplexed as to why public prosecutors chose to prosecute them, rather than the foreign mining company. Worse, surveys are being conducted for prospective potash mining projects in six other provinces: Khon Kaen, Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Maha Sarakham, Chaiyaphum and Nakhon Ratchasima.

A civil law was also amended during the Thaksin Shinawatra government to reduce the right to land ownership to only 100 metres below ground for the benefit of mining companies. The villagers claim the state arbitrarily did this without consulting them. "

We are now in the 21st century and have much evidence on record regarding the horrific effect and implictions this will have on the local community now and for many years to come.

This was also know of in the latter part of the 20th century as well by the way !!!!!!!!

Edited May 11, 2008 by marshbags

[GuestHouse]

Another ivory tower edict from the BP written by someone who has never been out of Bangkok, talks how awful human rights abuses are, but still pays bribes to cops.

Here we have a response from someone who is not subjected to the abuses reported in the OP and who, I'll wager has enjoyed a life free from the excesses of official abuse that is common place in Thailand. He then states, without a hint of irony in his post "Another ivory tower edict".

Surely deserves the dumb post of the week award!