US should explain its harsh rights report on Thailand, govt says

[reggaebkk]

I don't understand why one should be offended by a judgement from the US regarding human rights.

The US are the most global human rights violators and we can't count the amount of assassinations, civil unrest, coups, illegal wars, torture and more and more committed by the US the past 50 years, and there's no sign of a slow down.

So being called human rights violator by the US is like being called a pervert by a serial child rapist... a drop of water on my duck's feather would have more impact.

Edited June 27, 2015 by reggaebkk

[masuk]

Didn't I just read that a bunch of Thai students have been arrested and face up to 7 years jail for daring to meet and protest??

[Phaser]

The 'government' of Thailand freely and fairly elected should relax....oh....maybe on second thought, no elections yet? Humm, military coup, detentions and no right to assemble or freely discuss issues...maybe the US has a point? Just saying...

[coulson]

The deteriorating US opinion of the current situation in Thailand really needs some careful attention, the PM could start by opening more channels and getting into a snotty snub over the Embassy's 4th July invitation isn't a great start. Meanwhile TS is in Washington for 4th July, according to his Instagram account, I'll bet he's sipping champagne on the 4th, and given an opportunity to have his opinion offer some level of influence.

[Phaser]

Many of us are disgusted by US hypocrisy but one has to realise that it is a country of many extremes and facets - whilst Guantanamo is a blatant offence aginainst the rights of man, there are some major bodies in the States doing some fantastic work.

so firstly it is a spurious argument to suggest the the sins of one country justify the sins of another.

secondly it would show a huge misunderstanding of US culture to assume that all and everyone is behind their own civil rights abuses - the means that whether you like it or not the US is one of the best information gathering machines we have to monitor such things as human rights......it's a country of contrasts....unlike Thailand at represent which has a strangled press and a non-elected government with absolute power.......if there was a a "Guantanamo" run by the government and you exposed it, what do you think would happen to you? You can't even expose a fruit factory without some government-back reprisal.

Good point - although two wrongs don't make a right. Actually, the US should have listed itself in the report!!

[MockingJay]

"However the US should say what the basis is and the sources of the facts that led to the assumption."

assumption... assumption.... assumption....

"Now peace has returned to the Kingdom and people can travel to any place in the country without fear, he said."

All righty then - let's travel to Yala, Narathiwat or Patthani then, for a bombastic spa resort holiday...

[MockingJay]

I don't understand why one should be offended by a judgement from the US regarding human rights.

The US are the most global human rights violators and we can't count the amount of assassinations, civil unrest, coups, illegal wars, torture and more and more committed by the US the past 50 years, and there's no sign of a slow down.

So being called human rights violator by the US is like being called a pervert by a serial child rapist... a drop of water on my duck's feather would have more impact.

Well said! Nice boobs by the way...

[empireboy]

Shouldn't the rest of the world be holding the Yanks accountable for their heinous crimes against human dignity around the world?

Why would Thailand give an iota of concern about what THEY think at this stage?

[dukebowling]

Translation - Sansern: "Stop spreading the truth about Thailand…it's cramping my style!"

[SOTIRIOS]

....with all due respect...

....mass graves requires no explanation.....except from the country they are found in....

[gandalf12]

The USA is not clean of such things. It has ignored the Human Rights in Saudi Arabia whilst criticizing South Africa and other countries. No, Thailand does not have a perfect system but neither does the USA, far from it.

As the saying goes "Let those without sin cast the first stone". It will be a long time before the USA gets anywhere close to meeting that requirement

[kannot]

They are free and they are happy because the Junta told them so

[gandalf12]

Shouldn't the rest of the world be holding the Yanks accountable for their heinous crimes against human dignity around the world? Why would Thailand give an iota of concern about what THEY think at this stage?

Probably because they want to be seen as being favoured by the big boys, no idea why though

[Manbing]

US should explain its harsh rights report on Thailand, govt says

Which part on this list does the government not understand?

"The military overthrew a democratically elected government, repealed the constitution, and severely limited civil liberties," Kerry said. "Subsequent efforts by the military government to rewrite the country's constitution and recast its political intuitions raised concerns about lack of inclusivity in the process."

The report also stated that Thais no longer had the ability to change the government in a free and fair election, while noting that the junta had stifled academic freedom, ordered scholars not to speak to the press and cancelled academic seminars.

The junta had also restricted press content deemed critical, leading to widespread self-censorship.

The US also mentioned what it described as abuses by government security forces and local defence volunteers in the deep South.

Other rights problems included arbitrary arrests and detentions, overcrowded and unsanitary prisons and detention facilities, and insufficient protection for vulnerable populations, including refugees.

I am confused, The USA assisted Iraq and Afghanistan and their own citizens with the self same list of freedoms but denies other countries the same privilege?

Puppet governments, humans rights abuses, civilian deaths and casualties, and lack of freedom of speech abound in the countries that the USA 'freed'.

What about black sites and renditions? is this not the same thing, lifting citizens without charge, right to legal representation or charges, deporting them and torturing them to confess to crimes.(water-boarding is not torture- I know)

I am confused about the claims, other than that fewer people are being killed in Thailand.

-' What's the difference between an Iraqi kindergarten and a terrorist hideout?'

-'I don't know man, I just fly the drones.'

[EnglishJohn]

One thing which is pretty obvious is that the protestors were killed by UDD thugs paid to do it. What is also clear is that the UDD would never take such action in support of the government without being told to do it. And nobody would dare to do such drastic action without being told to do it from the very top. It is pretty much beyond doubt that it was government sponsored terrorism against it's people.

Yet in that report, the 28 deaths of completely innocent people gets one paragraph and it specifically makes the point that no evidence is available to link it to the last government. Nor does it mention how many of the dead were anti-government protestors. Nor does it mention that the likelihood of many more to follow were the reason for the coup.

Then 2 red-shirts who got killed get a paragraph each.

Something smells bad about that report.

[Snig27]

But this is coming from a country which also tramples on the rights of its own citizens, invades other countries on the flimsiest of excuses, detains citizens of other countries without trial and those persons only defenders are appointed by the the US military. Some of those people have been arrested in countries other than the USA and many of them have been awaiting trial for years.

It regularly sends drones to kill people in other countries and worries little if anything about "collateral damage" to that countries citizens.

Civilians in the USA are regularly killed by the police forces within the USA.

It supports freedom of speech but when it comes to Wikileaks it wants to prosecute to the nth degree those people that expose the truth.

It supports dictatorial regimes in some parts of the world.

When you live in a glass house it is not always a good idea to throw stones.

Much of that is correct but you miss the glaring difference - all of the above is a) subject to legal and congressional oversight and action - by elected officials and representatives. Anyone in the USA can sue the government and it is heard; and b. )the citizens of the US are freely able to discuss, disagree, protest and much more if they are unhappy with any of the above. There is no section 44, there is no Section 112 and so on. The constitution guarantees these rights and it gives legal redress if your rights are not upheld.

Have you been awake in the past 48 hours? The highest court in the US has made history by defining these rights yet again. If you can't see the difference between what's happening in Thailand and the United States I can't help you.

Edited June 27, 2015 by Snig27

[makecoldplayhistory]

Pot, Kettle, Black.

maybe, but it doesn't alter the fact that kettle is black.

But the kettle is far less likely to be shot by the police for being black in Thailand than it is in 'Merica.

Edited June 27, 2015 by makecoldplayhistory

[mfharrison]

It was written in English??

US should explain its harsh rights report on Thailand, govt says

Which part on this list does the government not understand?

"The military overthrew a democratically elected government, repealed the constitution, and severely limited civil liberties," Kerry said. "Subsequent efforts by the military government to rewrite the country's constitution and recast its political intuitions raised concerns about lack of inclusivity in the process."

The report also stated that Thais no longer had the ability to change the government in a free and fair election, while noting that the junta had stifled academic freedom, ordered scholars not to speak to the press and cancelled academic seminars.

The junta had also restricted press content deemed critical, leading to widespread self-censorship.

The US also mentioned what it described as abuses by government security forces and local defence volunteers in the deep South.

Other rights problems included arbitrary arrests and detentions, overcrowded and unsanitary prisons and detention facilities, and insufficient protection for vulnerable populations, including refugees.

[sammygood]

2 words

military dictatorship

[Larry001]

But this is coming from a country which also tramples on the rights of its own citizens, invades other countries on the flimsiest of excuses, detains citizens of other countries without trial and those persons only defenders are appointed by the the US military. Some of those people have been arrested in countries other than the USA and many of them have been awaiting trial for years.

It regularly sends drones to kill people in other countries and worries little if anything about "collateral damage" to that countries citizens.

Civilians in the USA are regularly killed by the police forces within the USA.

It supports freedom of speech but when it comes to Wikileaks it wants to prosecute to the nth degree those people that expose the truth.

It supports dictatorial regimes in some parts of the world.

When you live in a glass house it is not always a good idea to throw stones.

Irrelevant to the report. They were not comparing. Simply making a statement which l believe would be supported by a large majority of people

[Oziex1]

The USA and other nations may not be perfect in all ways and may be hypocritical, however countries with poor human rights record including my country should be exposed and expected to lift their game.

Should Thailand and others that are lax on human rights actually move to improve their efforts in upholding the rights of people, then maybe just maybe the hypocrites will then have a closer look at their own back yard.

[Dogbreath]

What do they need to explain? They have voiced these criticisms for the last year, did Thailand somehow think it was all going to change, magically go away?

The great thing is Thailand doesn't have to do a thing, they can just go on there merry way, who cares about the usa. That said, they can expect a reduction in exports to the US which is only fair. Best thing for Thailand to do is just sell there excess Tuna, farmed shrimp and clothing to China.

It's "their", for God's sake.

[sabaii69]

Pot, Kettle, Black.

maybe, but it doesn't alter the fact that kettle is black.

Bigot

[Nice Boyd]

Soon to be Chinese Puppet, where did they go during W W 2, Japan

[keskeseksa]

The reality is that HRW is at the beck and call of the US government. If it wasn't true why do we need a John Kerry to make a public statement? What hypocrisy when he says that the US is not blameless when its human rights records are abysmal. When the US wants to do something illegal they just invent another name, like "enhanced interrogation", or simply torture the people in countries using mercenaries like Blackwater because it would be illegal on American soil. And what about the drones killing civilians, they call it "collateral damage". None of that stuff happens under this new Thai government. What blood do they have on their hands? How many people have been executed recently in Thailand under this new government? How many people were executed summarily, and people killed by "third hand" during the previous regimes, and what did HRW do about it?

The HRW nipicks on small items and does not mention the big picture. Is there anything in the report that was not there before this government?

The simple reality is that with this new government, barely a year in place, a lot is being done to improve human rights, and the USA is the last country on earth who should give us lessons.

[jonesthebaker]

Fact: America imprisons more of it's citizens than any other country on the planet. i.e. 2.2 million people in America are in prison compared to 1.5 million in China. (you may wish to consider that China has more than 4 times the population).

America also holds the world record for death by police.

Just a couple of little factoids for those sitll living with the idea that America is a force for good

[sabaii69]

If you read the last sentence of the report you will see a splendid description of Americas downfalls. Having said that, (yes, I'm a Yank), Thailand just purchased 3 Chinese submarines after all the military support and money the Americans throw at Thailand. The US just sent thousands of military for Cobra Gold along with the required hardware and the Chinese sent 5 observers. Thank you Thailand, I suppose you wanted us to give them to you. You should of asked: the US government is nuts. Oh, by the way, kudos on straightening out the lottery fiasco......

[Dogbreath]

hmmmm, does the report mention that more Americans have been killed by their own police - in America - than soldiers killed in Iraq and Afganistan since they invaded those country to restore law and order. (or was it because of weapons of mass destruction ... pfffft)

any country that is criticized by the great satan must be doing things right. the auld yanks simply do not like goverments that can not be bought. simple as

Please cite the source of your statistics. I smell Leftist BS

[keskeseksa]

Didn't I just read that a bunch of Thai students have been arrested and face up to 7 years jail for daring to meet and protest??

Face up to 7 years? and how long do you think they will remain in jail? There probably won't even be a trial.

[gemguy]

Gosh.....If the U.S. Government actually did tell the Thai Government what they really think about the Thai government administration, past and present and their track record, it would be one of those cases where:

They should not have asked and or insisted in the first place.

Meantime...the USA past and present government administrations has a whole lot to account for themselves....but that is besides the point.

Cheers