Thailand to create a refugee monitoring team

Thailand to create a refugee monitoring team

A member of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand disclosed yesterday (31 October) that the appointment of a sub-commission to monitor treatment of refugees is in the offing. 

Jaran Ditapitchai told the refugee protection workshop held in Chiangmai that the 11-member commission (6 men and 5 women) nominated by the Senate and appointed by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej four months ago, would set up a working group in order "to promote the rights of refugees" and "to receive complaints of refugees whose human rights have been violated." 

"Anyone residing in Thailand whose rights are violated has the right to lodge a petition to the Commission," he stressed. 

The Commission conducts its duties also on the principle of Suomoto ("on its own"). "It's the commissioners' duty to take notice of violations and act on them," he said. 

The Power and Duties of the Commission specify that in conducting examination of violations, "the Commission shall, if it deems mediation is possible, mediate between persons or agencies involved." Its powers, however, do not include becoming a law court. "Remedial measures will be suggested and if they are not implemented, the Commission shall report to the Prime Minister," he said. "And if the Prime Minister fails to take action, the report shall be forwarded to the National Assembly. And in the event that the National Assembly refuses to act on it, the report shall be disseminated to the general public." 

He, however, conceded that the task was not easy because 90% of Thai people knew very little about refugees. "Yesterday, I was talking to 40 teachers and 150 students in Tak. I sketched them a picture of a man, a woman, a child, an old man and an alien refugee on a boat in a shark-infested sea and asked them if the boat were to unburden its load of passengers to make the boat faster, who they thought would be the first to go. The answer from them, without exception, was the alien refugee." 

The reason, he pointed out, was that most people did not see other persons as human beings first, but as Chinese, Burmese, Laotians, etc. 

Another obstacle was that Thailand did not have a clearcut policy on refugees. "To make matters worse, many government ministers don't even know the NHRC exists," he quipped. 

The National Human Rights Commission's president is Saneh Jamarik, a longtime activist and its secretary-general is Dr. Choochai Supawong, "a very smart man," according to Jaran. Its office is at 422, Phayathai Road, opposite Sriprathum Royal Palace, Pathumwan District, Bangkok 10330. Telephone & Fax: 02-2192980 - 1. 

The three-day workshop, 30 October - 1 November, was organized by Reach Out, an NGO driven training project, designed and implemented in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It was participated by personnel from UNHCR, UNICEF and Thai Red Cross; students and social workers from the Burma Border Consortium, Migrant Assistance Program, Law Society of Thailand, International Rescue Committee and Friends without Borders among others. From more information, please contact <reachout@ifrc.org> based in Geneva, Switzerland.