Thailand develops measures to protect human rights activists

BANGKOK, September 14 (TNA) - The Thai government has developed measures and mechanisms to protect human rights activists and people whose human rights are at risk of being abused. Thai Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Busadee Santipitaks, who is also Director-General of the ministry's Department of Information, told journalists of the Thai government's policy in Bangkok on Friday, affirming that the administration has paid attention to the protection of human rights. "Based on the policy, the Thai government, through the Ministry of Justice, has taken many actions, including setting up a task force to develop the measures and mechanisms to protect human rights activisits, especially those whose human rights are at risk of being abused, organizing workshops to tailor a legal framework on the human rights protection and producing a manual on the legal framework to them, as well as conducting field visits to areas where human rights of activists or people were abused or at risk of being breached and submitting reports on the updated situation to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha weekly", the spokeswoman explained. The spokeswoman stated that the Thai government has also amended a 2003 bill, set to be enacted during 2019-2023, in order to protect human rights of witnesses on criminal cases and to set up a panel, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong and charged with overseeing and handling human rights issues and cases, including those on alleged torture and forced missing. The spokeswoman stated that the Thai government has no policy to threaten or retaliate human rights activists. The spokeswoman's remarks followed an annual report recently issued by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, listing 38 nations, including China, Russia and Thailand, as shameful countries for carrying out arbitrary arrests, or intimidation or violent reprisals against human rights activisits. (TNA)