The New Constitution

[marshbags]

Taken from todays B.Post:-

National meeting demands section on women's rights in new constitution

1,000 women demand articles be reinstated

By Supawadee Inthawong

Women's groups have demanded the four articles touted as the pillar of women's rights that were enshrined in the 1997 constitution be also included in the new charter. Over 1,000 women from across the country gathered yesterday in Bangkok to voice what women want in the new charter _ promotion of women's fundamental rights and equal opportunities that is not any less progressive than what was provided under the 1997 charter abrogated by the Sept 19 coup.

The National Meeting on Women and the 2007 Constitution was attended by representatives of women's groups from across the country, who discussed these issues with female members of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and Social Development and Human Security Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham.

The seminar, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the WeMove group, is an effort to ensure the supreme law of the country endorses women's rights and that affirmative action is taken to end gender discrimination.

Sunee Chaiyarose, a former charter drafter and a former human rights commissioner, said women had a rather limited role in charter drafting in the past. There were only six female members in the 99-member constitution-drafting assembly in 1997.

''It is no easy task pushing for better protection for women's basic rights, some of which, though guaranteed by the 1997 charter, have never been delivered in practice,'' she said.

Ms Sunee demanded the 1997 constitution be used as a basis for writing the new charter, saying it was the best charter in terms of recognition of gender equality.

The women's groups have insisted that four of the articles in the 1997 constitution which guaranteed the basic rights of women be also inserted into the new charter.

For the complete article please go to the following url:-

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories.php?id=115159

Involving the ladies is a very shrewd idea in my humble opinion, along with giving the less fortunate / neglected ones various forums to voice their opinions and protect their rights.

I am not for totally political correctness ( nor sexist ) but this deserves our support and their involvement.

After all the majority of Thai households are taken care of / supported by them, especially the not so priviledged ones if i may be allowed to say that.

Comments are welcome and appreciated from both sides, please keep them relevant, sensible and respectable

marshbags

[Foggy Bottom]

Involving the ladies is a very shrewd idea in my humble opinion, along with giving the less fortunate / neglected ones various forums to voice their opinions and protect their rights.

Do you include farangs in that?

Especially resident farangs?

Land ownership (as per Thais in western countries)

Freedom of employment mobility ( a work permit that allows one to work anywhere for anyone, instead of tied to a simgle employer at a single address )

Single pricing instead of dual at major national attractions

Access to finance (as per Thais in western countries) without the need for "bond depositing" the finance value in a local bank.

Freedon from Tea Money requirements in government departments

Removal of racist and sexist clauses from the 2003 ammendments to the Non-imm O & B regulations

etc etc etc (as Yul Bryner often said in that film)

Be careful what you wish for (as another wise man once said)

[deminister]

the entire constitution is a joke. As soon as our Junta decides that they do not like the rules, they change it. The new constitution will become another monster written for the happy few. It would make more sense to scrap the utmost stupid articles that people without a university degree cannot run for office. Bet that the undemocratic demonstrators that got thaksin out do not like that idea. They proclaimed all too often that farmers and other provincials do not understand how democracy works. But at least they voted and the Junta stole the democracy. Never mind, the press is kissing ass, I do not hear the Nation so much anymore about the lack of pressfreedom. We see that ITV is punished with a fine 50 times the amount that they should pay, eventhough a binding court of arbitrage had another point of views. My advice. No laws, just one strongman who will blame everything on Thaksin.

[marshbags]

Involving the ladies is a very shrewd idea in my humble opinion, along with giving the less fortunate / neglected ones various forums to voice their opinions and protect their rights.

Do you include farangs in that?

Especially resident farangs?

Land ownership (as per Thais in western countries)

Freedom of employment mobility ( a work permit that allows one to work anywhere for anyone, instead of tied to a simgle employer at a single address )

Single pricing instead of dual at major national attractions

Access to finance (as per Thais in western countries) without the need for "bond depositing" the finance value in a local bank.

Freedon from Tea Money requirements in government departments

Removal of racist and sexist clauses from the 2003 ammendments to the Non-imm O & B regulations

etc etc etc (as Yul Bryner often said in that film)

Be careful what you wish for (as another wise man once said)

Hiya Gaz

I am not referring to a farang type politically correct charter and as this is an article on the Thai constitutional changes, it is obviously about Thai culture.

If only we could get a few equal rights ( i wish , but dream on. )

I am referring to the following which i am pasting for you from the article.

Quote:-

In question are Article 30 pertaining to betterment of gender equality, Article 53 on protection of family members against domestic violence and injustice, Article 80 on promotion of gender equality and family unity and Article 86 on fair compensation for female labourers.

Ratchadaporn Kaewsanit, of Women's Movement in the Thai Political Reform (WeMove), said the revoked constitution has the answers to all the fundamental challenges when it comes to gender discrimination, blamed for both domestic violence and sexual assaults.

She said WeMove would hold 12 more seminars to gather views of women nationwide on matters they find deserve a place in the constitution to be presented to the constitution drafters.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Thailand Joana Merlin-Scholtes said women in Thailand need to echo a stronger political voice.

''There are still very few women engaged in politics and holding senior government positions in Thailand. In fact, their number is smaller than in many other countries in Asia,'' she said.

Unqote.

Don,t you think from a Thai perpective that women can only improve the quality of life and get protection for the family, if they have certain tools in the mentioned articles it refers to so they can end the violence and abuse / sexual abuse in the home that goes on.

This proposal is Thai vs Thai and can only help to protect the women from all the abuse we hear and read about, and it will, if the articles are enforced stop the injustices mentioned above.

A few more female voices can help address all the abuse they suffer as the articles refer to.

It is not about Western style P.C / equal rights as Thai culture would never agree /accept this.

marshbags

[insideleft]

It would seem that some of the points made in the two previous posts indicate the need for enshrining rights in the constitution.

No, the political system in Thailand is not the same as the system Plato suggested for Utopia, nor is it the same as the political systems in Australia (who have concentration camps in the desert for asylum seekers, I am an Australian), nor England (who believe that corruption in the arms trade is more valuable then the law) or the U.S. (who freely apply terror to combat terror...see Dresden, Tokyo, Vietnam, Guantanomo Bay, El Gharib Prison Iraq (???) ...but I don't wanna live in Utopia or the west...I wanna live in Thailand...I wanna live there because I like it the way the Thai people have built it...I don't wanna live in the west because of the way western people have built their countries and political regimes...

I have little education, bachelor and master's degrees, but this education is western. For the life of me, I am unable to comprehend the Thai approach to the universe. The issue is my inability to understand the Thai approach...my inability does not equal the Thai people not having an approach, nor their having a chaotic approach...

an issue at hand for me is that the western mind is educated as a problem solving tool...by training, my mind sees a thing it does not understand, and guess what? Unless I am very careful, I label that thing a problem...for example, Thai politics is a shambles...the Thaeducation system is chaotic...Thai's don't know how to drive...but not understanding a thing is not the same as the thing itself being a problem...my inability to understand a thing is the issue...until i can understand a thing, and then somehow know it...I am wholly unable to know if the thing itself is a problem or not...

Back to the constitutional rights idea for women...it has been shown consistantly throughout history that if a thing is not spelt out categorically in black letter in the law...that thing will not be recognised at law...

If women do have the same rights as men and corporations and governments and employers, then why not say so clearly in the law...please tell me what the problem would be to say clearly that women have this or that particular right...what would be the problem???

In my limited understanding of the previous Thai consitution, it stood for a few years and would have been ok if the Thai Parliament had not been under the control of one political party...this same issue is current in Australia, UK and US where the governmental houses of those countries has been perverted by the same kind of situation...where Thailand overthrew a popularly elected government...the three western countries illegally invaded a foreign country in a breach of international law, the issue legitimising the invasion was weapons of mass destruction ...who is demanding the rewriting of the consitutions of these three sovereign war criminals??? The actual response by the citizenry of these three countries was to relect their war-making governments with increased majorities...

if for no other reason then for my sake...please take your western ideas, understandings and solutions back to your own homes and leave the Thail house to the Thais...

Insideleft

ps the two previous posts indicated in the beginning of my post were the second and third posts...not the fourth...

Edited December 17, 2006 by insideleft

[Boo]

Marshbags, can I just point out that wanting to have equal rights has nothing to do with western polical correctness, it is a basic human right that all people of any country should have already so there is no need to point out that this isnt about "western PC" in every post.

[marshbags]

Marshbags, can I just point out that wanting to have equal rights has nothing to do with western polical correctness, it is a basic human right that all people of any country should have already so there is no need to point out that this isnt about "western PC" in every post.

You are welcome to your opinion but i always find the 2 lumped together back home.

My experience back in the U.K is that Western P.C and equal rights go hand in hand when it suits the various organisations and has everything to do with it.

As the majority of T.Visa members are foreign it is purposely stated on both.

( hope i haven,t hit a sore point in the above reference ) ???????

That is my opinion and my take on U.K policy and it has gone way to far and is in fact BIAS towards one gender and there is much resentment about it back in my part of the woods.

Sympathy towards the opposite sex and the way equality has developed it has got to the ridiculous, but that,s another debate don,t you think.

As this is Thailand and we are discussing the womens rights here and the new constitution, i very much sympathise with their objectives and hope they get a fair deal.

If you want to open a debate on sexual equality, equality and political correctness " Western Style ", you have my blessing and good luck, i think you will need it.

Just bear in mind this is Thailand and not another country when making comparisons.

I for one would not advocate what,s happened there as it,s truly gone to the point of ridiculous.

In my humble opinion, based on experience, " U.K. Style " of course.

Sarcasm not intended by the way.

marshbags

P.S.

i am not into getting into a debate on Western style culture, Thank you very much as it,s one of the happy reasons for leaving it behind from time to time

I also promise not to reply to any further comments on your take on P.C. and equality comparisons

" Western Style " sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry

Edited December 17, 2006 by marshbags

[Boo]

And there in is my point, this is about thailand & thai women so why go on about wester pc ness, you obviously have a fully formed opinion about womens rights in the Uk which has nothing to do with this topic IMO. So just pointing out, this is about thai women & thailand so no need to go one about western pc.

[alexth]

Borat seemed to have a very strong point about this in his movie