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Human Rights Commissioner of Thailand Expresses Support for a Commission of Inquiry in Burma

By Burma Partnership  •  August 9, 2011

The Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand has expressed his personal support for a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma, as an important mechanism to “check and balance the power and accountability of the military regime.”

“We don’t want an ASEAN that only promotes economic cooperation. We want an ASEAN that will really be for the people. Therefore, we must support the establishment of a CoI. Without a CoI, ASEAN will have no future,” said Dr. Nirun Pitakwatchara. The Commissioner also pointed out that Thailand’s Constitution mentions the country’s obligation under international law to promote human rights.

Dr. Nirun Pitakwatchara expressed his support in a panel discussion at an event last night commemorating the 23^rd anniversary of the 1988 nationwide pro-democracy uprising in Burma. The panel consisted of a former political prisoner and activist from 1988, as well as human rights defenders and activists from Karen, Kachin and Karenni States.

“We sincerely welcome Dr. Nirun’s support for the Commission of Inquiry in our country,” said Khin Ohmar, Coordinator of Burma Partnership. “We share Dr. Nirun’s desire for an ASEAN that values and strives to protect human rights for all the peoples of the region, and hope that national human rights commissioners in other ASEAN member states will join in this call.”

In May, the Vice-Chair of the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission, Mr. Nurkholis, called on ASEAN to support a United Nations investigation into business and human rights violations in Burma. He was speaking at a Public Hearing on Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights held in Jakarta.

For more information, please contact:

Khin Ohmar, Coordinator of Burma Partnership: +66818840772

 

Tags: ASEAN, Burma Partnership, Commission of Inquiry, National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, Thailand

This post is in: Press Release

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