Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

13 Jul 2010
The purpose of reforms should be to eradicate the defects that exist at present, in the police. The main defects are that the system of criminal investigations is based on primitive methodologies and the use of torture is an inherent part of such investigations, therefore the elimination of the use of torture and the development of modern techniques of criminal investigation should be the major priority in any reform; corruption is rampant within the police and the eradication of corruption should also be a priority in police reforms; The police often have to serve political masters and powerful persons and this prevents the police from serving the law as their king; Thus, bringing the police within the rule of law by eradicating their control by politicians and other powerful persons should also be a priority in police reforms.
8 Jul 2010
(Hong Kong, July 8, 2010) The decision of an independent online news site to shut down its web board is indicative of the shut down of free speech in Thailand under the ongoing state of emergency, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said on Thursday. In an announcement posted on its website, www.prachatai.com, Prachatai said that as the government was hunting for people making comments online, it had decided to close the web board for the safety of users.
4 Jul 2010
In response to the AHRC's open letter to Abhisit Vejjajiva on 18 June regarding the detention and treatment of people arrested under the Emergency Decree, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has posted its reply on its website.
19 Jun 2010
  Dear Mr. Abhisit  THAILAND: Chaining of wounded detainees under Emergency Decree    The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you regarding the treatment of detainees under the state of emergency that your government has imposed in Bangkok and other provinces of Thailand in response to protests that gripped the capital in recent months. 
29 May 2010
AHRC-STM-086-2010 May 28, 2010 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission ASIA: AHRC calls for one month from May 26th to June 26 to be devoted to finding ways to eliminate use of torture The Asian Human Rights Commission will work to draw the attention of civil society and governments to the endemic torture that is prevalent in almost all Asian countries. Despite many declarations by governments, torture is carried out every day in almost all police stations throughout Asia. The routine practice of torture in normal criminal investigations, including petty crimes, is an experience that many people face in these countries. 
12 Jan 2010
On 20th January (or in just 8 working days) the end of the “permission to stay and work in Thailand for one year, pending deportation” for 61, 543 Burmese, Cambodian and Laotian migrants who “illegally” entered the country will arrive. As the first migrant work permit renewal deadline of the year it is somewhat different to past deadlines however. For if any of these workers refuse to go through the Royal Thai Government’s (RTG) Nationality Verification (NV) process, policy announcements suggest they will be deported. Whether deportation starts then or on 28th February (the “final” deadline to agree to NV or be deported for the other million or so registered migrants whose work permits expire on that day) remains unclear. 
20 Nov 2009
In recent days police in Thailand arrested and charged another person over causing a decline in the stock market by spreading rumours through the Internet about the king's health. 
5 Nov 2009
In response to Awzar Thi's criticism of human rights advocates in Thailand, Danthong Breen, chairman of the Union for Civil Liberty, a leading human rights organization based in Bangkok, has sent an email to a group of activists.  Prachatai sees this as a valuable contribution to the debate on the roles of human rights activists in Thailand, and has translated and published his email on Prachatai (Thai version) with the kind permission of Mr Breen.  Here is his email and a response from Thongchai Winichakul, Thai academic at the University of Wisconsin in the US.
15 Oct 2009
According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), the case of Kiettisak Thitboonkrong was sent to the Criminal Court in Bangkok in September 2009. Six police officers have been accused of premeditated murder and of concealing Kiettisak's corpse to hide the cause of death. The first trial will be opened on 19 October 2009 in the Criminal Court, Bangkok, Thailand. The AHRC asks supporters in Bangkok to attend the trial as observers. 
23 Sep 2009
Dear Princess Bajrakitiyabha The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) listened with close attention to your speech on 14 September 2009 to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and is aware of your work for the rights of women prisoners in Thailand through the Kamlangjai Project, as well as with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and your role as a UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador.
20 Aug 2009
In an interview posted on the website of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Thailand, the commission's new chairwoman, Amara Pongsapich, has effectively promised to make the national rights institution meaningless and irrelevant, other than as an obstacle to human rights.
11 Jun 2009
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you following the inquest findings of a court in Thailand issued on 29 May 2009 that the deaths of 78 men in Narathiwat in October 2004 was a result of suffocation while being carried in vehicles. The findings clear the way for prosecutions of the persons responsible for this heinous crime, which attracted and continues to attract global attention and bring Thailand into international disrepute.

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