NEW CHARTER
CDC to go ahead with merging of rights body with ombudsman
KHANITTHA THEPPHAJORN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The Constitution Drafting Committee yesterday stood by its plan to merge the National Human Rights Commission with the Office of the Ombudsman as stipulated in the new charter's Article 275.

A CDC source said that despite the NHRC raising objections about the merger being highly inappropriate, the issue was dealt with by some of the drafters and resolved at a meeting later.

The CDC's reasoning is that this new body will unite the two organisations, though the charter drafters will not come up with a name for the new outfit.

A CDC source said the meeting also reviewed new stipulations about the Parliament president and deputies, and concluded that the president must come from the government's side, while |the first deputy Parliament president must come from the opposition.

However, the process of naming deputies will only be done once a new cabinet is put in place.

The meeting also discussed Article 282 on the reform of the legal and justice system in relation to the Administrative Court and Courts of Justice.

This article deals with the enforcement of regulations ensuring that each court abides by its own processes.

This week the CDC is scrutinising pending articles that have yet to be finalised and holding closed-door meetings in order to give drafters an opportunity to voice their thoughts freely.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/CDC-to-go-ahead-with-merging-of-rights-body-with-o-30257324.html


-- The Nation 2015-04-03

The further suppression of the NHRC comes as no surprise, especially now with Article 44 in full use by the Junta. General Prayut will be solely responsbile to determine the who, what, where, and how on human rights exist in Thailand.

It would be more honest to simply eliminate any reference to a human rights commission in the government and retire Niran Pitakwatchara. I am sure Prayut's appointed Ombudsman General Wittawat Ratchatanan, former Deputy Permanent Secretary for Defense, can handle any human rights issues.

In the shadows of Art 44 the "government" is still playing democracy...........................

The further suppression of the NHRC comes as no surprise, especially now with Article 44 in full use by the Junta. General Prayut will be solely responsbile to determine the who, what, where, and how on human rights exist in Thailand.

It would be more honest to simply eliminate any reference to a human rights commission in the government and retire Niran Pitakwatchara. I am sure Prayut's appointed Ombudsman General Wittawat Ratchatanan, former Deputy Permanent Secretary for Defense, can handle any human rights issues.

The joint Ombudsman / NHRC will need to be given appropriate powers if they are to handle things.

Otherwise people they ask questions to will simply refuse to answer, persistently delay answering and eventually simply forget about answering.

Just like former disgraced PM Yingluck and her cousin, the former Foreign Minister.

Despite many objections and concerns all the wrong moves are being made taking this country down a dark road.