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A human rights subcommittee comprised of police (2009-12-21) |
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Monday, 21 December 2009 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-STM-255-2009
December 21, 2009
A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
THAILAND: A human rights subcommittee comprised of police
Although the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Thailand has
not yet posted the details of its new subcommittees on specific issues
to its website, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained
details of their current membership.
Among the subcommittees, the one on administration of justice is of
special importance, as it deals with police abuses, which are rampant
in Thailand and on which the AHRC has reported for some years. The
former commissioner who held the post as the chairman of that
subcommittee was active in his efforts to promote and protect human
rights in accordance with the commission's mandate during a period of
intense difficulty both for the commission and for Thailand.
However, the new commission's mandate appears to be aimed at
protecting the perpetrators of abuses rather than the victims.
Accordingly, a former assistant commissioner general of the Royal Thai
Police, Police General Vanchai Srinuwalnad, has been placed in charge
of this subcommittee, on the ironic basis that he is the one among the
commissioners who knows the most about the subcommittee's affairs.
Unsurprisingly, the police general-cum-human rights defender has
appointed other people to the subcommittee who know much about the
topic by virtue of similar backgrounds. They include two more
policemen, Police Major General Boonlert Nanthawisit and Police
Captain Yotrangsan Ekphapant, and from the army, General Surin
Phikulthong. Altogether, out of 18 posts on the subcommittee, around
half have been filled by or are designated for government officials
and commission staff. So far only one member of the committee is a
woman.
Not only does the NHRC of Thailand apparently not find it strange that
a police officer should be put in charge of monitoring and reporting
on police abuses, but also it is equally unperturbed that he should in
turn set up a subcommittee consisting of other police and state
officials. Although this bizarre composition does not appear to be
problematic for the NHRC, it again makes a mockery of international
standards, the Paris Principles on National Human Rights Institutions,
under which the commission is supposed to be independent and
pluralistic.
The Asian Human Rights Commission reiterates its earlier call for the
NHRC, Thailand to have its status as an institution in compliance with
the Paris Principles downgraded and its rights to participate in
international forums revoked. It also asks all international partners
and interlocutors of the commission to seriously review their
relationships with an agency in which the subcommittee responsible for
dealing with police abuses is itself being managed by and comprised of
policemen.
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