THAILAND – Unqualified candidates selected in secret
1 June 2009 2:58 am

The newly appointed members of Thailand's National Human Rights
Commission, whose selection process violated constitutional requirements and
international standards, should resign to restore the commission's credibility,
Human Rights Watch said on 13 May 2009. Upcoming constitutional reforms should include a
new selection process that will ensure independence, transparency, public
scrutiny, and broad-based participation.
(Source: Human Rights Watch)
(New York) – The newly appointed members of Thailand's National Human Rights
Commission, whose selection process violated constitutional requirements and
international standards, should resign to restore the commission's credibility,
Human Rights Watch said on 13 May 2009. Upcoming constitutional reforms should include a
new selection process that will ensure independence, transparency, public
scrutiny, and broad-based participation.

The seven new members approved by the Senate on 1 May 2009, in a closed
session, include one who was a subject of a commission investigation and several
with no experience in human rights. Several highly qualified candidates were
rejected.

"Thailand is facing grave human rights challenges and needs a serious and
committed commission to work on them," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human
Rights Watch. "Instead, inexperienced and unqualified people were placed on this
commission in a way that clearly broke the rules. The best thing these members
can do for human rights is to step down".

On March 11, the secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
invited applications for new commissioners after the terms of the previous
commissioners had expired. The commission received 133 applications. The
selection committee, consisting of five senior judges and the president of the
parliament, met to consider the applications on 8 April. On 10 April, the
committee sent seven nominees, including one who has been the subject of a
commission investigation, to the Senate for consideration and approval. The
Senate effectively rubber-stamped the committee's nominees.

The seven nominees were: Police General Vanchai Srinuwalnad, assistant
commissioner general of the Royal Thai Police; Parinya Sirisarakarn, former
member of the Constitution Drafting Assembly of Thailand (2007) and a prominent
industrialist; Paibool Varahapaitoorn, secretary to the Office of the
Constitutional Court; Visa Penjamano, inspector-general, Ministry of Social
Development and Human Security; Taejing Siripanich, secretary, Don't Drive Drunk
Foundation; Nirand Pithakwachara, former elected senator for Ubon Ratchathani;
and Professor Amara Pongsapich, former dean, Faculty of Political Science,
Chulalongkorn University.

The new commissioners do not come from a diverse range of social
backgrounds, nor do any of them represent human rights groups. More important,
local human rights groups have protested that the new commissioners lack
necessary first-hand experience in protecting and promoting human rights.
Vanchai, Parinya, Paibool, and Visa, in particular, have no experience at all
and have no public record of demonstrating basic understanding of human
rights.

To read the complete statement, please click here.