Thailand: End the use of disproportionate and unnecessary force against protesters (30 August 2021, Jakarta) ‒ Thailand should respect, protect and fulfil the right of its people to peaceful assembly and expression, and must immediately end the use of disproportionate and unnecessary force against protesters, said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) [ Read more ]

Following the use of disproportionate force against protestors on 7 August, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) said: Despite its obligations under international human rights law to respect, protect and fulfill the right to freedom of assembly, the government of Thailand has continued to use disproportionate force against protestors by firing water [ Read more ]

In response to police violence against peaceful protesters  on 1 August, FORUM-ASIA Executive Director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu said As signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Thailand has an obligation to ensure the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, including by abstaining from violent means of dispersal and proactively facilitating assemblies. Reports of police using tear gas and rubber bullets against [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 2 April 2021) The Thai authorities’ adoption of a draft law to regulate non-profit groups would strike a severe blow to human rights in Thailand, several international organizations said today. The bill is the latest effort by the Thai government to pass repressive legislation to muzzle civil society groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The [ Read more ]

On the deteriorating health of Thai pro-democracy activists Parit ‘Penguin’ Chiwarak and Panusaya ‘Rung’ Sithijirawattanak, FORUM-ASIA Executive Director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthi said: The Court must immediately grant bail to human rights activists Parit ‘Penguin’ Chiwarak and Panusaya ‘Rung’ Sithijirawattanak, who are facing deteriorating health issues after 47 and 32 days of hunger strike, respectively. While [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 23 March 2021) – The Thai authorities must respect and abide by the principles of necessity and proportionality in handling protests and must hold accountable police and plainclothes officers who have responded to protests with violence, said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and  CIVICUS in a joint statement today. On [ Read more ]

46th regular of the UN Human Rights Council Item 4: General Debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Oral Statement Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)  Friday, 12 March 2021      Madam President, We welcome the Secretary-General’s update on the [ Read more ]

[Joint Statement] Thailand: Strengthen National Human Right Commission before Accreditation Upgrade (Bangkok/Geneva, 16 December 2020) — The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) should continue to be accredited as ‘B status’[1] in the re-accreditation exercise by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation of Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI-SCA), said the Asian NGO Network [ Read more ]

  We, the undersigned organisations, condemn the Thai police’s unnecessary and excessive use of force against peaceful protesters marching to the national parliament in Bangkok on November 17, 2020. We are concerned that authorities could employ similar measures when facing protesters who have declared they will march to the Siam Commercial Bank headquarters on November [ Read more ]

(Jakarta, 18 November 2020) ‒ The use of violence by police  to disperse yesterday’s protest by the pro-democracy movement is unjustified, and fails to meet the international human rights standards Thailand has committed itself to, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), said in a statement today. Thai police, yesterday, dispersed pro-democracy movement [ Read more ]