Thailand has yet to face the skeletons in it's closet

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL
Thailand has yet to face the SKELETONS IN ITS CLOSET

BANGKOK: -- REPORT TO THE UN'S CCPR FAILS TO DEAL WITH MAJOR SCANDALS FROM THE PAST, SUCH AS THE TAK BAI MASSACRE

Whoever goes to the United Nations to defend Thailand's report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) will have to have a very thick skin and strong nerves.

Judging by the content in the CCPR report that was recently submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee, one has to wonder why Thailand became a signatory to such an important covenant in the first place.

Besides the normal rhetoric about how "Thailand attaches importance to the legal proceedings of cases involving significant human rights violations" and how independent courts "shall render justice to all parties equally", the overall argument and the content of the report is disturbing because much of it is misleading.

Items that the UN had specifically asked about, like the disappearance of Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit, were left out. Somchai is presumed dead. A police officer was convicted of abducting him but somehow disappeared.

Angkhana, Somchai's wife and one of the original authors of the report, is not only disappointed by the fact that her husband's case was not included in the report, she is also upset over how the report treated the Tak Bai massacre and the killings at the Krue Se mosque. Both incidents took place in 2004 and put Thailand in an unwanted spotlight and drew criticism from major human rights groups and the international community.

So misleading is the report that Angkhana decided to disown it and distance herself from it.

For Thailand, the CCPR is an event that comes up once every four years. It is an opportunity for the Thai Ministry of Justice to explain to the United Nations the progress it has made and measures the government has taken to address various developments and incidents that pertain to Thailand's civil and political rights.

But judging by the new CCPR report, it has become an opportunity to whitewash the country's recent past.

In the case of the Tak Bai massacre, an incident that continues to haunt Thailand, the report cited a court ruling that said "78 individuals died of suffocation while in the custody of state offi

cials who were performing their duties".

"The Court therefore ruled that the exercise of state authority in the dispersal, the detention of demonstrators and the transportation of those held in custody was conducted in conformity with their duties based on the difficult and constrained situation. After considering the outcome of the post-mortem inquest, the public prosecutor ordered a suspension of the inquiry," the report said.

Hiding behind the court's finding will not free those responsible for the incident. It's appalling that the report did not mention the seven demonstrators who were shot dead by security officials at the scene.

Like the rest of the demonstrators, the victims were unarmed and had water behind them; they had nowhere to run.

And after the demonstration was dispersed by force, they were put on military transport trucks, one on top of another. Footage of the event shows security officers kicking and beating them as they were forced to crawl to the trucks.

Several hours later, on a trip that should have taken no more than two hours, the vehicles reached the Army camp in Pattani. Seventy-eight men had suffocated to death.

The incident radicalised a generation of insurgents who are bent on carving out a separate homeland for the Malay Muslims in the southernmost provinces.

Today, a decade later and after more than 6,000 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence, Thai officials are still trying to convince the world that no mistakes were made in the Tak Bai massacre and that the conduct of the security officers was in line with standard operating procedures.

In most free societies, a monument would have been built to commemorate the victims of such an atrocity. That's how a nation moves forward and turns the page; admit mistakes, don't whitewash them in an international forum.

But in Thailand, we keep putting on a brave face hoping somehow this will just go away. What we don't realise or don't want to acknowledge is that for the Malay Muslims in the southernmost provinces, the pain will not go away.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Thailand-has-yet-to-face-the-SKELETONS-IN-ITS-CLOS-30257436.html

-- The Nation 2015-04-05

[NongKhaiKid]

They won't face anything, it's called Thainess.

[redandyellow]

Thailand better watch out, or soon it will have more skeletons in its closet than the catacombs under the streets of Rome.

Maybe they could open a calcium factory and make some high quality glue, so the rhetoric and bull sticks more readily, like sh-- on a blanket.

[bangkokfrog]

Usually I try to provide thoughtful comments here... but words fail me on this one. The Thai Army in the South seems sick, sick, sick.

[arthurboy]

The dinosaurs running Thailand - past and present - need to grow a pair.

It simply amazes me that those 'in charge' still think Thai people will forget these atrocities, and other past scandals, simply because they are off the media radar.

Memories run deep. So does a sense of what is right and what is wrong.

[ezzra]

A thousand carpenters could not build enough closets to contain only some of the skeletons

in this country.....

[NongKhaiKid]

A thousand carpenters could not build enough closets to contain only some of the skeletons

in this country.....

It's Easter so maybe mentioning carpenters isn't appropriate considering what happened to one of them.

[Thaddeus]

A thousand carpenters could not build enough closets to contain only some of the skeletons

in this country.....

It's Easter so maybe mentioning carpenters isn't appropriate considering what happened to one of them.

I know, Karen had a great voice.

[NongKhaiKid]

A thousand carpenters could not build enough closets to contain only some of the skeletons

in this country.....

It's Easter so maybe mentioning carpenters isn't appropriate considering what happened to one of them.

I know, Karen had a great voice.

was she ever nailed as was the other one and i don't mean her brother ?

[noitom]

Thais don't have accepting responsibility in their DNA.

[MaxLee]

Thailand better watch out, or soon it will have more skeletons in its closet than the catacombs under the streets of Rome.

Maybe they could open a calcium factory and make some high quality glue, so the rhetoric and bull sticks more readily, like sh-- on a blanket.

In this case the allmighty general might order to shut down the internet soon

[Commerce]

Thais don't have accepting responsibility in their DNA.

Thai DNA is not under self-ownership.

[Just1Voice]

I'm waiting for the day when the "insurgents" realize that attacks and bombings in the south aren't really getting them anywhere and decide to move their show on the road north. Phuket, Pattaya, and especially Bangkok. That's when you will see all hell, and real panic break loose.

[NeilSA1]

"Thai officials are still trying to convince the world that no mistakes were made in the Tak Bai massacre"

Why? Why don't they once and for all, lay the blame fairly and squarely on those responsible for the massacre, albeit it is probably too late for any punishment?

This government has nothing to lose by investigating, otherwise this will continue to be a festering wound in peoples minds - quite rightly too. Perhaps this may also assist positively with future peace negotiations.

[Oziex1]

A thousand carpenters could not build enough closets to contain only some of the skeletons

in this country.....

It's Easter so maybe mentioning carpenters isn't appropriate considering what happened to one of them.

He wasn't very good was he, had a problem with nails.

Save us some Easter Eggs I'll be back on Monday.

[dominique355]

Today, a decade later and after more than 6,000 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence, Thai officials are still trying to convince the world that no mistakes were made in the Tak Bai massacre and that the conduct of the security officers was in line with standard operating procedures.

This is the real problem. Standard Operation Procedures where killing suspects is normal.

What kind of "standard operation procedures" are in place to carry out orders under Sec. 44? Frightening

[IMA_FARANG]

If you get right down to it there are many countries in the world who have not yet come to acknowledge the real truth of the fiction they call their so-called "history".

That not only goes for Thailand, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia who also have that lesson to learn.

As in "Animal Farm", once the pigs took over, their slogan became , "What we tell you your history is, is what we tell you it should be"

Thailand has applied that to it's "history" also .... along with many other countries.

[kotsak]

Anyone who tries dealing with the skeletons in the closet is in danger becoming one as well

Edited April 5, 2015 by kotsak

[off road pat]

The dinosaurs running Thailand - past and present - need to grow a pair.

It simply amazes me that those 'in charge' still think Thai people will forget these atrocities, and other past scandals, simply because they are off the media radar.

Memories run deep. So does a sense of what is right and what is wrong.

Yes, ....so well said.

[Lupatria]

For way too long I was wondering, what makes Thais so confident they can constantly fool the rest of the world on so many subjects? And then I found this:

Edited April 5, 2015 by Lupatria

[city]

"Thai officials are still trying to convince the world that no mistakes were made in the Tak Bai massacre"

Why? Why don't they once and for all, lay the blame fairly and squarely on those responsible for the massacre, albeit it is probably too late for any punishment?

This government has nothing to lose by investigating, otherwise this will continue to be a festering wound in peoples minds - quite rightly too. Perhaps this may also assist positively with future peace negotiations.

This current government has everything to lose with an independent inquiry. It was the army thjat killed all these people (nothing new there). Research as to who the commanding officer met on the night before the assault... Some may stop blaming Thaksin. What happened was intended to discredit Thaksin in the same way Abhisit gets all the flak for 2010. In both these cases there is one consistency. A..y

[Orac]

"Thai officials are still trying to convince the world that no mistakes were made in the Tak Bai massacre"

Why? Why don't they once and for all, lay the blame fairly and squarely on those responsible for the massacre, albeit it is probably too late for any punishment?

This government has nothing to lose by investigating, otherwise this will continue to be a festering wound in peoples minds - quite rightly too. Perhaps this may also assist positively with future peace negotiations.

Because the people involved are part of the 'establishment'

The guy most clearly at fault, the military commander on the spot, very nearly became Defence Minister a couple if years ago.

[city]

"Thai officials are still trying to convince the world that no mistakes were made in the Tak Bai massacre"

Why? Why don't they once and for all, lay the blame fairly and squarely on those responsible for the massacre, albeit it is probably too late for any punishment?

This government has nothing to lose by investigating, otherwise this will continue to be a festering wound in peoples minds - quite rightly too. Perhaps this may also assist positively with future peace negotiations.

Because the people involved are part of the 'establishment'

The guy most clearly at fault, the military commander on the spot, very nearly became Defence Minister a couple if years ago.

Lt-Gen. Pisarn Wattanawongkiri Head of the Fourth Army

[worgeordie]

The 1000s of alleged drug dealers,that were killed on the orders of

a former PM, lets not forget them.

regards Worgeordie

[rubl]

I would guess that most countries in this world have problems with skeletons in their cupboards. Even the Netherlands (my home country) has a few. Still many issues around the 'police actions' in the late 1940sh in Indonesia, known there as "Agresi Militer Belanda". The ineffectiveness of the UN DutchBat in Srebrenica, July 1995.

Why would Thailand be different?

[Chris Lawrence]

I don't know Rubi, maybe it is because some countries can feel superior to others when they are looking down at another or the skeletons are forgotten?

Just hope the powers that be learn from past experiences.

[Lee4Life]

I guess I certainly have a different idea about what "putting on a brave face" means, I would say that it means bellying up to the bar and taking your licks if you've done something wrong, not playing the blame game all the time or never admitting fault. I would call that another kind of face.

[hansgruber]

Blue diamond affair, Saudi diplomats and citizens missing.

[catweazle]

Why not start with the Thammasat massacre then?

However, I think the US of A still has the most cleanup and explanation work to when it comes to skeletons in the closet...

[Baerboxer]

"Thai officials are still trying to convince the world that no mistakes were made in the Tak Bai massacre"

Why? Why don't they once and for all, lay the blame fairly and squarely on those responsible for the massacre, albeit it is probably too late for any punishment?

This government has nothing to lose by investigating, otherwise this will continue to be a festering wound in peoples minds - quite rightly too. Perhaps this may also assist positively with future peace negotiations.

This current government has everything to lose with an independent inquiry. It was the army thjat killed all these people (nothing new there). Research as to who the commanding officer met on the night before the assault... Some may stop blaming Thaksin. What happened was intended to discredit Thaksin in the same way Abhisit gets all the flak for 2010. In both these cases there is one consistency. A..y

Ah, Thaksin the Innocent. No doubt he tried to prevent all these massacres, kidnappings, murders, just like he did the extra judicial executions in the notorious war on drugs. The all happened on his watch, but of course he was only the Prime Minister so couldn't possibly be held responsible for them or for not making sure proper investigations were carried out and followed up.

Abhisit only gets the flak for 2010 from Shin supporters. Others may think the criminal fugitive who sponsored it all and appeared on video from a nice safe place stirring it up had something to do with it,