THE NATION, FEBRUARY 3,1998. Pipeli

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

      Thai human rights 'leave
      room for improvement'

      ALTHOUGH Thailand generally respects
      human rights, some significant problems
      remain, including extra-judicial killings and
      abuse of women and children, according to
      a report released by the US State
      Department. 

      In the ''1997 Human Rights Report on
      Thailand'', the US described Thailand as a
      newly industrialising country with a strong
      free-enterprise system and protection of
      economic rights. It noted, however, that the
      lack of transparency in many governmental
      processes had led in some cases to
      discriminatory commercial treatment for
      favoured firms and institutions. 

      The report, released by the department on
      Jan 30, noted progress in political reform,
      in particular the adoption of the new
      Constitution in October. It said the 1997
      general elections were generally viewed as
      free but marred by widespread vote-buying,
      a recurring problem in Thai elections. 

      Also positive about the role of the Army, the
      report said military leaders still had an
      informal but influential role in internal
      politics. Since 1992 the armed forces have
      become increasingly professional and
      subject to public control. 

      It also praised some positive developments
      in the right to assembly and press freedom
      but noted a few cases when state
      authorities had moved against freedom of
      speech and press freedom during former
      prime minister Gen Chavalit
      Yongchaiyudh's tenure. 

      These included police raids last July on two
      foreign-operated brokerage firms to search
      for evidence that the firms had sent faxes
      containing inaccurate financial information. 

      The most notorious case was the
      establishment of the Media Monitoring
      Centre to clarify inaccurate reporting, limit
      sensationalism in the media and
      discourage the media from over-reporting
      on the economic crisis. 

      In references to the judicial system, the
      report said that although an independent
      judicial system was provided for under the
      Constitution, it had a reputation of venality. 

      Reactions to the report by a Foreign
      Ministry official Monday were guarded. The
      way the report was compiled, he said, did
      not suggest improvements in human rights
      in Thailand. ''[The report] hasn't changed
      much from the report last year,'' he said. 

      The official pointed out that while the US
      said Thailand generally respected human
      rights, the report still singled out somewhat
      isolated instances that did not necessarily
      represent the whole picture, citing the
      criticism of the judicial system. 

      ''We are open to criticism as long as it is
      based on fairness and accuracy and clearly
      points out whether it is directed towards an
      individual case or the whole system,'' the
      official said. 

      Problems cited in the report include
      continued extra-judicial killings by the police
      and military with impunity, child labour and
      prostitution, abuse of women, labour
      standards, racial discrimination and limited
      movement of some political dissidents from
      Burma. 

      The report said that despite existing laws to
      protect these rights, authorities responsible
      for enforcement, particularly the police, did
      not vigorously implement them and some
      committed these violations themselves. 

      Citing credible reports, it indicated that at
      least 35 criminal suspects connected
      mainly to narcotics trafficking had been
      killed in detention in the first half of the year
      but no police officers had been convicted of
      wrongful killing. 

      The report said efforts to curb the trade in
      children for sex had met little success. A
      Ministry of Public Health official estimated
      the number of prostitutes as ''under
      70,000'', while some NGO and government
      departments go as high as 200,000. 

      The government and NGOs estimate there
      are 20,000 to 40,000 prostitutes under the
      age of 18. 

      The report also noted limited progress in
      the government's attempt to integrate ethnic
      minorities and immigrants into the
      mainstream of society. Only half the
      estimated 500,000 to 600,000 members of
      hill tribes possess documentation that
      either identifies them as citizens or certifies
      their eligibility for future citizenship. 

      The Nation