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FORIMMEDIATERELEASEMEDIACONTACT:YapSweeSeng,FORUMASIA,ExecutiveDirector,+66(0)818689178(Bangkok)
GiyounKim,FORUMASIA,UNAdvocacyProgrammeManager,+41(0)795957931(Geneva),[email protected]
ASIANNGOSJOINTPRESSSTATEMENT
ThailandMustTakeClearandDecisiveActionforHumanRights
asNewPresidentoftheUNHumanRightsCouncil
AsianNGOsUrgetheNewAsianMemberStatesoftheCouncil
Malaysia,theMaldives,
QatarandThailandtoStrictlyComplywiththeHighestHumanRightsStandards
(22 June 2010, Bangkok/Geneva) The UN Human Rights Council
(Council) convened its
organizationalmeeting
yesterday
on
its
fifth
annual
cycle
(2010
2011)
and
elected
Ambassador
SihasakPhuangketkeow,thePermanentRepresentativeofThailandtotheUNOfficeandOther
InternationalOrganizationsinGeneva,asthePresidentoftheCouncilforaperiodofoneyear.
We, the undersigned 55 national and regional human rights
organizations across Asia, urge
AmbassadorSihasakPhuangketkeowtodemonstratehisutmostleadershipandcompetencyin
orderfortheCounciltofulfillitsmandateandresponsibilitieseffectivelyandensuremeaningful
participationofNGOs.
WeareoftheviewthatthereareunderusedworkformatsandtoolsattheCouncil,whichcan
berejuvenatedbyvigorousand inspiring
initiativesbythePresident.Specifically,wecallupon
thePresidentoftheCounciltomakethemostuseofaPresidentsStatementtoensuretimely
responseto
situations
of
human
rights
violations,
but
not
in
amanner
of
substituting
or
replacing resolutions. The urgent debate on the Gaza flotilla
incident during the recently
concluded 14th
regular session of the Council demonstrated the creative
capability of the
Councilinfulfillingitsmandate.WiththeactivefacilitationbythePresident,suchanexampleof
awork formatshouldbe furtherexploredandbuiltuponconsistently
forotherhuman rights
situations that require the Councils attention. Furthermore, we
urge the President to
concretelyworkonwaystobetterprotectandenhancethespaceavailabletoNGOsaswellas
for greater representation and effective engagement of national
and regional NGOs in the
Councilprocessesincludingthe5yearreviewoftheCouncil.
ThePresidency
of
the
Council
is
not
limited
to
the
personal
capacity
of
the
Ambassador;
the
governmentofThailandtoomustplayanexemplaryroleinupholdingthehighesthumanrights
standardsandfullycooperatingwiththeCouncilandotherUNhumanrightsmechanisms.The
public image and credibility of the Councilwill be seriously
undermined if it is chaired by a
representativeof theStatethatcontinuesto
imposeundulyprolongedstateofemergency in
the country.Weurge the governmentofThailand to lift
theEmergencyDecreewithoutany
furtherdelayandensurefulltransparencyandaccountabilityforthosehumanrightsviolations
committedduringtherecentunrestinitscapital.
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As a way of setting an example as the Council President,
Thailand should issue a standing
invitationtoallSpecialProceduresmandateholdersforofficialcountryvisits,givingpriorityto
the Special Rapporteurs on Extrajudicial Executions, Human
Rights and CounterTerrorism,
Freedomof
Opinion
and
Expression,
Migrants
as
well
as
the
Working
Group
on
Arbitrary
Detention.WecalluponthegovernmentofThailandtoremainseizedofthepersistenthuman
rightstrendssuchastherightsofmigrantworkers,therighttofreedomofexpressionandthe
humanrightssituation
insouthernThailand,withtheviewthattheseshouldnotbeneglected
duringthenationalreconciliationprocess.Inaddition,theNationalHumanRightsCommission
andthejudiciarymustbefurtherstrengthenedtoensuretheirindependenceandeffectiveness.
Lastly,werepeatourcalltowardsAsianStatestopushcompetitiveslatestoenabletheGeneral
AssemblytobegivenagenuineopportunitytoelectthemostqualifiedStatestotheCouncil.
While we regret the last Council elections in May were
characterized by a predetermined
process,westronglyurgethenewAsianmemberStatesoftheCouncil,namelyMalaysia,the
Maldives,Qatar
and
Thailand
to
strictly
comply
with
international
human
rights
norms
and
standardsand
fullycommittoengagingwithnationalandregionalhumanrightsNGOsduring
their3yearterm.Theymustsetclear
indicatorsandtimelinesfortheirvoluntarypledgesand
commitmentwithconcreteactionplansratherthanaspirationaltargets.
ListofSignatories(55NationalandRegionalHumanRightsOrganizationsinAsia):
RegionalOrganizations
1. AlternativeASEANNetworkonBurma(ALTSEANBurma),Thailand2.
Asia
Indigenous
Peoples
Pact
(AIPP),
Thailand
3.
AsianFederationAgainstInvoluntaryDisappearances(AFAD),Philippines4.
AsianForumforHumanRightsandDevelopment(FORUMASIA),Thailand5.
AsianLegalResourceCenter(ALRC),HongKong,China6.
CommonwealthHumanRightsInitiative(CHRI),India7.
GlobalAllianceAgainstTrafficinWomen(GAATW),Thailand8.
InternationalWomensRightsActionWatchAsiaPacific(IWRAWAP),Malaysia9.
MigrantForuminAsia(MFA),PhilippinesNationalOrganizations
10.BahrainCentreforHumanRights(BCHR),Bahrain11.AinoSalishKendra(ASK),Bangladesh12.Odhikar,Bangladesh13.HumanRightsEducationInstituteofBurma(HREIB),Burma/Thailand14.CambodianHumanRightsandDevelopmentAssociation(ADHOC),Cambodia15.IndigenousCommunitySupportOrganization(ICSO),Cambodia16.BanglarManabadhikarSurakshaMancha(MASUM),India17.PeoplesWatch(PW),India18.PeoplesVigilanceCommitteeonHumanRights(PVCHR),India19.ProgrammeAgainstCustodialTorture&Impunity(PACTI),India
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20.SouthIndiaCellforHumanRightsEducationandMonitoring(SICHREM),India21.HumanRightsWorkingGroup(HRWG),Indonesia22.IndonesiaLegalAidFoundation(YLBHI),Indonesia23.IndonesianAssociationofFamiliesoftheDisappeared(IKOHI),Indonesia24.InternationalNGOForumonIndonesianDevelopment(INFID),Indonesia25.TheCommissionfortheDisappearedandVictimsofViolence(KontraS),Indonesia26.TheIndonesianHumanRightsMonitor(IMPARSIA),Indonesia27.CentreforOrangAsliConcerns(COAC),Malaysia28.EducationandResearchAssociationforConsumer(ERAConsumer),Malaysia29.SuaraRakyatMalaysia(SUARAM),Malaysia30.TheMaldivianDemocracyNetwork(MDN),Maldives31.CentreforHumanRightsandDevelopment(CHRD),Mongolia32.GlobeInternational(GI),Mongolia33.HumanRightsTreatyMonitoringCoordinationCommittee(HRTMCC),Nepal34.InformalSectorServiceCentre(INSEC),Nepal35.InternationalInstituteforHumanRights,EnvironmentandDevelopment(INHURED),Nepal36.NationalAllianceofWomenHumanRightsDefenders(NAWHRD),Nepal37.NationalCoalitionfortheInternationalCriminalCourt(NCICC),Nepal38.WomensRehabilitationCentre(WOREC),Nepal39.NationalCommissionforJusticeandPeace(NCJP),Pakistan40.PaglingkodBatasPangkapapatiranFoundation(PBPF),Philippines41.PhilippinesAllianceofHumanRightsAdvocates(PAHRA),Philippines42.PILIPINALegalResourcesCentre(PLRC),Philippines43.TaskForceDetaineesofthePhilippines(TFDP),Philippines44.KoreanHouseforInternationalSolidarity(KHIS),RepublicofKorea45.MINBYUNLawyersforaDemocraticSociety,RepublicofKorea46.PeoplesSolidarityforParticipatoryDemocracy(PSPD),RepublicofKorea47.TheRefugePNan,RepublicofKorea48.ThinkCentre,Singapore49.LawandSocietyTrust(LST),SriLanka50.InformationMonitor(INFORM),SriLanka51.TaiwanAssociationforHumanRights(TAHR)52.PeoplesEmpowermentFoundation(PEF),Thailand53.USCommitteeforRefugeesandImmigrants(USCRI),Thailand54.WorkingGrouponJusticeforPeace(WGJP),Thailand55.JudicialSystemMonitoringProgramme(JSMP),TimorLeste
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