Thai Gov't Will Fully Support the Creation of an ASEAN Human Rights Commission - Thai PM Vows

Thai PM & General Surayud Chulanont (Ret.) with visiting delegation (Sinapan Samydorai, Wigberto Tanada III, Dato Param Cumaraswamy, Praphan Hutasingh, Marzuki Darusman, and Ray Paolo Santiago

Bangkok, Thailand- Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont assured a visiting delegation from the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group) that his government will support the ongoing initiative to establish an intergovernmental commission for human rights in ASEAN.

“Even though we are not an elected government, we are committed to promoting human rights issues,” Chulanont asserted. The delegation met with Chulanont at the Government House on March 1, 2007 to request for the Thai government’s support for references to human rights and the creation of an intergovernmental rights commission in the ASEAN Charter. The final draft of the Charter- which will give a legal personality to ASEAN- will be presented to ASEAN heads of state for approval in November 2007.

Former Philippine Senator Wigberto Tañada III, a member of the delegation, said that they were encouraged by the Prime Minister’s positive response and will relay it to the high-level task force that is drafting the Charter. “It will take years to change the Charter thus it is important to have human rights included on it from the very start,” explained Working Group Co-chairperson and Indonesia’s former Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman. Chulanont agreed, “We at ASEAN have had discussions for 40 years but the time has come for action.”

Co-Chairperson Marzuki Darusman and Thai PM Surayud Chulanont

The delegation and the Prime Minister also discussed possible activities that the Working Group and the government can undertake in pursuing the Thai human rights agenda. Chulanont asked the Thai Working Group, a national organization under the Working Group, to hold future human rights activities with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. On his government’s human rights agenda Chulanont says: “We would like to see a fair treatment for all Thais and are open to opportunities where we can work with civil society”.

The Working Group delegation was comprised of leading human rights advocates from the region. Darusman and Tañada were accompanied by former U.N Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Dato Param Cumaraswamy (Malaysian Working Group Chairperson), former Thai Member of Parliament Praphan Hutasingh (Thai Working Group Cairperson), Sinapan Samydorai (focal person for the Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism), and Ray Paolo Santiago (Deputy Secretary General of the Regional Working Group).