Jump to content

Prayut: Amnesty International to be investigated


Mekong
 Share

Recommended Posts

Authorities are investigating whether Amnesty International has broken any laws, Prime Minister Chan-o-cha said on Friday, after ultra-royalists called for the human rights group to be expelled for its support of activists facing prosecution.

A royalist group presented a letter to the government on Thursday saying Amnesty’s campaigns to bring an end to criminal charges against protesters calling for reforms of the monarchy had undermined national security.

More than 1,600 activists are now facing security-related charges, including at least 160 people charged under Section 112, the royal defamation law, which carries a potential prison term of up to 15 years.

Asked at a news conference on Friday about the royalists’ request, Gen Prayut said: “We are checking whether there are any violations of the law and this involves the police and the Interior Ministry.

“If there are wrongdoings, then it (Amnesty’s licence) will be revoked,” he added.

Youth-led protests that started last year have challenged the decades-old taboos against any criticism of the monarchy. The Constitutional Court ruled on Nov 10 that the actions of three protest leaders amounted to an attempt to overthrow the government and ordered all such activities to stop.

Amnesty said in a statement that it has been in Thailand for several decades and will continue to work on preventing, monitoring and holding states, corporations and others accountable for human rights abuses under international law.

“We will continue to do this independently and impartially on the basis of facts,” said Amnesty, which is among several human rights groups that have been vocal about the Thai government’s prosecution of political activists. 
 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2222307/prayut-amnesty-international-to-be-investigated
 

Amnesty International being investigated by Thailand, if it wasn’t so serious it would be hilarious. Which would you prefer your human rights to be governed by, International Law or Thai Dictatorship Law?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tangentially, I was watching an Al Jazeera piece on how the Indonesian Fishing Industry is overrun by Thai boats, crewed by effective slaves and the efforts of the group, rescuing them.

The Thai fishing companies torture and kill the workers. The Thai fishing industry appears to be one big criminal enterprise.

At one point representatives, meet Prayut, they are lined up and genuflect towards Prayut as though he was god, he says "we must investigate to see if laws are being broken".  Needless to say, nothing is happening.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

KS,

Not arguing with you, we both have the same viewpoint, my reason for saying it is still a dictatorship and not a democracy.

An extract from Human Rights Watchdog article on 2019 elections

Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Thailand is a party, states that, “Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity … [t]o vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors.” The United Nations Human Rights Committee, which interprets the ICCPR, has stated in its General Comment on article 25 that:

  • “Where citizens participate in the conduct of public affairs through freely chosen representatives, it is implicit in article 25 that those representatives do in fact exercise governmental power and that they are accountable through the electoral process for their exercise of that power.”
  • “Freedom of expression, assembly, and association are essential conditions for the effective exercise of the right to vote and must be fully protected.”
  • “An independent electoral authority should be established to supervise the electoral process and to ensure that it is conducted fairly, impartially, and in accordance with established laws which are compatible with the Covenant.”
  • “In order to ensure the full enjoyment of rights protected by article 25, the free communication of information and ideas about public and political issues between citizens, candidates, and elected representatives is essential. This implies a free press and other media able to comment on public issues without censorship or restraint and to inform public opinion.”

“Foreign governments seeking the restoration of democracy in Thailand should publicly state that they will only recognize an election that meets international standards,” Adams said. “Thailand’s elections won’t be considered credible if the media is gagged and critical commentary about military rule is prohibited. The junta should understand that an election that is little more than a preordained victory for military rule will only be treated as a mockery of democracy.”

One of the main bodies of HRW is Amnesty International, who the Military Dictatorship are now investigating , can you see the pattern here. Since the elections were nor Free and Fair in accordance with International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which as stated Thailand is a signatory and member of, the elections cannot be deemed as democratic no matter what the Junta says, and as such it is still a Military Dictatorship in name everywhere except Thailand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

Fair enough. I agree, that using those criteria the country is not a democracy. The elections were a total sham, and rigged heavily in Prayut's favor. Been telling my wife for years already that he has absolutely no intention of giving up his power. It's obvious he's getting off on it.

Sanuk!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...