Pubdate: Fri, 15 Feb 2008
Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2008
Contact:  http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39
Author: Achara Ashayagachat

SOCIETY 'ACCEPTANCE' OF AUTHORITARIANISM

Jon Says Future's Bleak For Human Rights Here

Human rights in Thailand will not improve with an  elected government
back in power as there are  structural flaws embedded with
authoritarianism, a  rights advocate said yesterday. Jon Ungphakorn, a
  well-known rights activist and former senator, said  bureaucracy as
well as police and army officers were at  the core of human rights
problems in Thailand.

The Thaksin administration gave the nod to  extrajudicial killings in
its notorious war on drugs,  there were forced disappearances and
extensive use of  force, while the Council of National Security also
curbed conventional and alternative media, Mr Jon said.

"The Samak government will be more or less like the  Thaksin
government in its anti-drug suppression and the  violation of freedom
of expression. We might see the  use of force against drugs as
Minister Chalerm  [Yubamrung] made a pledge to fight the problem,
while  Minister Jakrapob's [Penkair] comments on creating a  neutral
media is a threat to the media," he said.

The underlying problem, he said, was the public  acceptance of
authoritarianism.

"The public therefore allows the authorities and the  majority to
undermine the rights of the minority  wherever they are in Thailand,"
he said.

Saneh Chamarik, chairman of the National Human Rights  Commission,
said activists were facing challenges  working under the Samak government.

Somchai Homla-or, of the Foundation for Human Rights  and Development,
said the root cause of Thailand's  human rights problem was a judicial
process which  included abuse of power and negligence on the part of
authorities to protect human rights.

"People, as well as human rights defenders, including  lawyers, have
been alienated and isolated from the  judicial system, and this was
also the case in the far  South where forced disappearances and
extrajudicial  killings have been rampant in the past few years," he
said.

He said that instead of pinning their hopes on the  government, people
should concentrate on the  empowerment of civil society.

"That's the way for meaningful reform of the justice  system. We
realise the Surayud government's attempt to  push for police reform
went nowhere and now the Samak  government doesn't seem to be
providing any hope on the  issue."
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MAP posted-by: Derek