Posts Tagged ‘Thailand’
December 10, 2014
“I call on states to honour their obligation to protect human rights every day of the year. I call on people to hold their governments to account. And I call for special protections for the human rights defenders who courageously serve our collective cause,” UN Secretary-General stated in his message for Human Rights Day. There is so much to report on this day, that I decided to focus on stories from 4 Asian countries (China (Hong Kong), India, Thailand, Bangladesh) which give an impression (not more than that) of how Human Rights Day is reflected in the media.
The first article “Responsibility for the protection of human rights is in our hands” appeared in the South China Morning Post of Tuesday, 09 December, 2014
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Bangkok Post, Bangladesh, China, Economic Times of India, Financial Express of Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Human Rights Day, Human Rights Defenders, human rights education, India, Indian National Human Rights Commission, international commitments, international human rights day, media, South China Morning Post, Thailand, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
November 22, 2014
(Police stand inside the theatre in Bangkok where two student activists were arrested in connection with the showing of ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Photo by Pattarachai Prechapanich)
If there was any evidence needed that symbols from films travel fast, the Bangkok Post reports that on Thursday 20 November three students outside two Bangkok theatres. They were released without charges, but in the meantime the discussion had already started. On Friday Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand said he felt unthreatened by The Hunger Games’ three-fingered protest against totalitarian rule, but nonetheless warned people against using it. “I don’t know whether it is illegal or not but it could jeopardise their futures,” Gen Prayut told reporters at Government House. “I appreciate their courage but they should use their courage in the right ways”.
His comments came as the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Southeast Asia criticised the authorities for a recent spate of instances in which people were led away for questioning after making the salute that has become a symbol of defiance for anti-coup protesters. The United Nations on Friday criticised the country’s military leaders for arresting students flashing the signature protest gesture from The Hunger Games while the film’s makers said they are concerned for the young activists. Director of The Hunger Games, Francis Lawrence, felt honoured that the film has become an inspiration but added: “My goal is not for kids to be out there doing things that are getting them arrested,” (in a Friday interview with Buzzfeed). “”In a sense, part of it is an honour that there (are) ideas in the movies that we’re making that (have) become so important to people that they are willing to risk something and use that symbol,” he continued. “But it’s so scary.”
“I didn’t want to punish [the students] so they were merely reprimanded, released and told not to do it again because it’s of no benefit to anyone,” Gen Prayut told reporters. The general also denied any role in Apex’s decision to pull the film from its Scala and Lido theatres.
Three-finger fallout continues | Bangkok Post: news.
Posted in films, human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Bangkok, Bangkok Post, Buzzfeed, cinema, film, Francis Lawrence, freedom of expression, Hunger Games, military dictatorships, Mockingjay, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prayut Chan-o-cha, protests, students, Thailand, The Hunger Games
August 26, 2014
Coup d’etat in Thailand or not, judicial harassment continues to rack the lives of human rights defenders. A Statement of 24 August by the Asian Human Rights Commission [AHRC] concerns Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, a human rights defender and director of the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF), who received a warrant summoning her to report to the police station by 25 August 2014. The warrant is in relation to an investigation carried out pursuant to a legal complaint of libel and defamation filed against her by Army Task Force 41. The complaint accuses Pornpen Khongkachonkiet of causing damage to the reputation of the Army by disseminating an open letter about a case of torture. (The Army has claimed that the young man was not tortured, and so therefore the open letter constitutes libel and defamation.)
The judicial harassment of Pornpen Khongkachonkiet is part of a broader pattern of harassment and legal proceedings against human rights defenders in Thailand, such as the following 3 examples show: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AHRC, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: AHRC, Andy Hall, Asian Human Rights Commission, defamation laws, Human Rights Defenders, intimidation, Kritsuda Khunasen, labour activists, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Suderueman Maleh, Thailand, torture, woman human rights defender
June 2, 2014
The Asian Human Rights Commission reports that only a few hours ago (around 9 pm) on 1 June 2014, the National Council on Peace and Order Maintenance [NPCO] in Thailand issued Orders No. 42-44/2014 – broadcast on the radio and television – demanding that 38 persons report themselves to the Jamjuree Room at the Army Club on Thewet Road between 10 am and noon. Similar to earlier orders, the penalty for not obeying the summons carries a prison term and a 40,000 baht fine.The list includes a number of human rights defenders, activists, academics, and journalists, such as:
- Jittra Kotchadet, long-time labour rights activist and human rights defender.
- Tewarit Maneechay, human rights defender and journalist for the independent media site Prachatai.
- Suthachai Yimprasert, a historian at Chulalongkorn University, and
- Kengkij Kitirianglarp, a political scientist at Chiang Mai University; the two academics have consistently acted in support of human rights.
- Pranee Danwattananusorn, the wife of Surachai Danwattananusorn (a former political prisoner) and who has worked to support the rights of political prisoners and human rights defenders.
- Karom Phonpornklang, a lawyer who has defended numerous political prisoners.
The full lists can be found in: THAILAND: Junta summons additional human rights defenders, activists, academics, and journalists — Asian Human Rights Commission.
Posted in AHRC, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Asian Human Rights Commission, coup d'etat, detention, Human Rights Defenders, human rights lawyers, Jittra Kotchadet, journalists, junta, Karom Phonpornklang, military, National Council on Peace and Order Maintenance, summons, Tewarit Maneechay, Thailand
May 6, 2014
The disappearance of Karen activist “Billy” has prompted the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights UNHCHR to condemn the “pattern of killings and forced disappearances of environmental activists in Southeast Asia” and to urge authorities to conduct thorough and independent investigations. “We are concerned about the lack of progress with an investigation into the disappearance of a prominent human rights defender in Thailand,” UNHCHR spokesman Rupert Colville said in a statement released on Friday 2 May. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OHCHR, UN | 1 Comment »
Tags: Billy, Cambodia, Chut Wutty, disappearances, environmental activists, environmental issues, Human Rights Defenders, indigenous groups, Karen, killings, Land issues, Laos, Philippines, Pholachi Rakchongcharoen, Rupert Colville, Sombath Somphone, South-east asia, Thailand, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
December 23, 2013
On 18 December 2013, human rights defenders, Mr Alan Morrison and Ms Chutima Sidasathian, appeared at the police station in Phuket province. The two human rights defenders are accused of libel and violating the Computer Crime Act for publishing an article entitled “Thai Military Profiting from Trade and Boat people, Says Special Report”, which was published on Phuketwan website on 17 July 2013. The human rights defenders are due to appear at the police station again on 24 December 2013. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Front Line, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Alan Morrison, Australia, Burma, Chutima Sidasathian, freedom of expression, freedom of information, Front Line (NGO), Human rights defender, human trafficking, journalists, Phuket Province, Reuter, Rohingya people, Royal Thai Navy, South China Morning Post, Thailand
December 21, 2013
The Brussels-based NGO ‘Protection International’ held a Global meeting, from 18 to 22 November 2013, bringing teams from the field and its Brussels headquarters together in Mombassa, Kenya. The meeting was an opportunity for teams from Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Thailand to exchange and compare their experiences, strategies and knowledge on security management and the protection of defenders. During the meeting topics were addressed such as the conceptual framework for research on community protection networks, the psychosocial care of human rights defenders, and the use of outcome mapping to strengthen the monitoring of the work done with communities and civil society organizations. The contents of a “Facilitators Guide on protection for human rights defenders” – to be published in early 2014 – was also discussed. [The Global Meeting follows an earlier Latin American Regional Meeting held in August in Guatemala]
via PI Global Meeting in Kenya: Strengthening Protection networks | | Protection InternationalProtection International.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Protection International | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, Brussels, civil society organisations, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Human Rights Defenders, international protection, Kenya, Latin America, meeting, Mombasa, NGO 'Protection International, PI, Protection International, psychosocial care, strategy, Thailand
September 12, 2013
As concerns grow in Southeast Asia over the use of national security, anti-terrorist and defamation laws to limit freedom of expression on the Internet, a coalition of international and local NGOs and activists from Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia urged governments to stop using vague legislation based on ill-defined concepts such as “national security”, “sovereignty” or “lèse-majesté” to intimidate, harass and imprison independent voices. Speaking at an event in Geneva, which coincides with the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council, FIDH, IFEX, Article 19 and PEN International united to call for the urgent revision of these laws to bring them into line with international human rights standards. Independent and dissenting voices, including bloggers and netizens, journalists, activists and human rights defenders, have increasingly been subjected to repression in Southeast Asia.
A lot more detail in Human Rights Council : Stifled Southeast Asian Voices: NGOs Unite … – FIDH.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: anti-terrorist laws, Article 19, asian voices, Cambodia, censorship, civil society organizations, criminal defamation laws, defamation laws, dissenting voices, FIDH, freedom of expression, Geneva, Human Rights Defenders, IFEX, internet, intimidation, judicial harassment, National security, NGOs, Non-governmental organization, PEN, side event, Thailand, United Nations Human Rights Council, Viet Nam
July 5, 2013
A network of Asean civil society organisations unveiled its review of the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights [AICHR] on 20 June reports the Bangkok Post. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: AICHR, ASEAN, Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, Bangkok Post, Cambodia, Civil society, Forum Asia, Human Rights Defenders, intergovernmental system, Lao, regional mechanisms, Thailand, Vietnam
May 24, 2013
The Bangkok Post of 24 May 2013 contains a nice little item that should give heart to those who work on UN special procedures and of wonder about the impact of all this advocacy work: It seems that Thailand has conceded a bit on issues raised by a UN special rapporteurs regarding freedom of expression and migrant labour, and to the fatal harassment of human rights defenders.The ‘admission’ is in a document included in 108 pages of communications involving special rapporteurs of the United Nations recently made available ahead of the 23rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
via Thai government concedes abuses raised by a UN special rapporteur as abuses of human rights | Bangkok Post: news.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | 1 Comment »
Tags: advocacy work, Bangkok Post, enforcement, freedom of expression, Government of Thailand, Human right, Human Rights Defenders, lese majeste, migrant labour, migrants, rapporteurs, Special Rapporteur, thai government, Thailand, UN Special Rapporteur, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Special Rapporteur
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 