On 21st March 2016, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) consisting of Mr. Chartchai Suthiklom , Mrs. Angkhana Neelapaijit and Mr. Surachet Satitniramai, M.D., visited the area of Cho Ai Rong, Narathiwat Province to follow up the violent situation on the use of a hospital building as a bunker by agitators to fire shots to the military officers in the nearby operational base.

              On this occasion, the NHRCT delegation received the brief situation report with effects and solutions presented by Mr. Panu Uthairat, Secretary-General of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, Mr. Sitichai Sakda, Governor of Narathiwat, Mr. Boonrat Prapanwong, M.D., Director of Cho Ai Rong Hospital, including military and police officers in the area.

               In the discussion with related agencies, Mr. Chartchai Suthiklom as the Chairperson of the Sub-Commission on Human Rights in Southern Border Provinces encouraged personnel of the Cho Ai Rong hospital and military officers who have faced the situation with patience and tolerance and the situation did consequently not became worse. For this, the National Human Rights Commission commented that the action of agitators at this time was the violation of international principles in which a hospital is considered a safe area. Thus, the NHRCT has made a statement of condemnation for such action on 14th March. In the pursuit of offenders, however, if there is a person invited for interrogation or detention, relatives of offenders should be informed the place of detention and are allowed to visit during the early period of detention in order to be in line with laws and human rights principles. Also, conflicts will be reduced and trusts will be created among related parties afterwards.

              Mrs. Neelapaijit, Vice-Chairperson of the Sub-Commission on Human Rights in Southern Border Provinces, recommended that the government must have the effective intelligence system in order to prevent any violence. For the NHRCT, when there is a complaint of human rights violation, the immediate access to a detainee under the approval of security agencies in the area will enable the NHRCT to rapidly find facts, produce the recommendation to the government and publicize the information to people without delay. Furthermore, Mr. Satitniramai added that the compliance with laws of armed forces in the area will help establish the true society with the respect of human rights.

               All this, Mr. Uthairat recommended the NHRCT to setup the working group to immediately access to the situation in order to provide justice to all parties.

 Office of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand
22nd March 2016
 

22/03/2016