Pubdate: Sun, 04 Jan 2004 Source: Nation, The (Thailand) Copyright: 2004 Nation Multimedia Group Contact: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1963 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/thailand Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/human+rights MONITOR SLAMS CONTEMPT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS The decline in respect for human rights in Thailand last year is partly to blame for the legal violations related to the deadly war on drugs, a human-rights monitor said yesterday. The number of complaints of human-rights violations almost tripled last year to 780 cases from 283 cases in 2002, National Human Rights Commissioner Sunee Chaiyaros said. "More than half of the complaints involved allegedly abusive police action during the anti-drugs campaign," Sunee said. The remaining complaints were related to community rights, labour disputes, spousal rights, media intimidation, housing, unfair administrative decisions and the rights of the disabled. The commission is gearing up to make it easier to file complaints this year and to speed up its investigations of them, Sunee said. Complaints can be filed in person at the commission's office on Phyathai Road, sent via e-mail or by post or faxed to (02) 219 2973. In related news, the Law Society of Thailand said it had provided free legal advice in almost 50,000 court cases last year. "On an average day more than 200 people call or visit in order to seek advice and representation," the society's secretary-general, Thana Benjathikul, said. High-profile cases the society worked on last year included the Klitty Creek case, in which villagers suffered lead poisoning from a mine in Kanchanaburi, and the Khao Takiab land dispute. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin