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Protesters, activists are not trouble-makers, forum told
Bangkok
Post, Dec 17, 2002
Achara
Ashayagachat
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/17Dec2002_news22.html
Society needs to change its attitudes so
that marginalised groups and NGOs are not regarded trouble-makers when they
call for basic human rights, activists and academics said yesterday.
Raewadee Prasertcharoensuk, NGO Coordinating Committee representative, said
public perception that protesters and NGOs were pests were holding back
progress on human rights.
Better communication was needed to avoid misunderstanding and use of force,
Mrs Raewadee told a foreign ministry seminar on Thailand and international
laws on human rights.
Kullaphol Phollawan, Office of the Attorney-General director-general of the
Department of Civil Rights Protection and Legal Aid, said human rights
should be promoted and abuses of those rights tackled.
Vasant Panich, a human rights commissioner, said Thailand should implement
goodwill provisions of the constitution aimed at promoting and protecting
the rights of the people.
The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand has been going a year but
has already received 400 complaints, mostly concerning violations of
individual rights and disputes over natural resources sharing, Mr Vasant
said.
Laws setting up independent bodies for consumer rights and public hearings
were still not in place.
The Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline was signed after constitutional provisions
requiring environmental assessments and public hearings took effect, he
said. But a proper study on the social impacts was still needed.
Sulaiman Madyusof, representative of the anti-pipeline movement, said the
government violated community rights, distorted facts, and threatened people
who fought for their rights.
Saneh Chamarik, chairman of the national human rights committee, said fair
and thorough studies were needed before the government could decide on
projects. |
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