Quote:
Originally Posted by StrontiumDog 
<snip>
OTHER RELATED SPECIAL REPORTS BY AHRC/ALRC
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For the sake of completeness and to provide some
context, the following ALRC reports are also worth a look (more at
alrc_statements ):
2009 THAILAND: The rise of the internal-security state and decline of human rights in Thailand ASIA: The human rights situations in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand THAILAND: NHRC not independent nor composed according to international standards THAILAND: "Unsubstantiated" police abuses, impunity and human rights charades 2008 THAILAND: Law against torture needed to comply with Convention THAILAND: Continued threats to rule of law & human rights under elected government
Of more recent vintage (March 2011), the "Article 19"
* submission to UN HRC is also useful:
http://www.article19.org/pdfs/submis...submission.pdf
To quote from its executive summary:
Given the expertise and scope of activities of ARTICLE 19, this submission focuses on
Thailand’s compliance with its international human rights obligations in protecting the right to
freedom of expression and right to freedom of information. Thailand is a party to the ICCPR.
The new 2007 Thai Constitution provides a series of protections for freedom of expression and
information, including a whistleblower protection (Article 62), which makes Thailand one of the
small handful of countries that protects those who provide information in suspicion of the
conduct of government in their constitutions. In practice however, the Thai government falls
short of meeting its obligations. In particular, since 2006 following the political unrest, the
government has tightened its grip on freedom of expression in broadcast, internet and other
mediums, and has used a regime of legislations to stifle political debates. The major issues of
ARTICLE 19’s concern are:
• Government use of emergency powers to suppress freedom of expression;
• Restrictions on the right to freedom of expression on the internet;
• Use of defamation and lèse-majesté laws to silence critics;
• Failure of the government to effectively implement the Official Information Act;
• Control of media by the military and government. * Article 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression