Banning of justice talk was intimidation, rights groups say

Instead, the groups held a brief press conference at the FCCT yesterday afternoon explaining the reasons for the cancellation and condemned the move as intimidation of human rights lawyers and organisations.

“We see this as a violation of freedom of expression and the right to receive news and information by the people,” said human rights lawyer Pawinee Chumsri, a member of the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), who organised the event with Amnesty International Thailand and the Cross Cultural Foundation.

Pawinee said the group had prepared a situation report entitled “Access to Justice in Thailand: Currently Unavailable, The human rights situation 100 days after the coup”, which would have to be disseminated later via other channels.

Pawinee insisted the event was not in violation of any law and organisers had repeatedly asked the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to send a letter to confirm their request – instead of just making phone calls, as they did on Monday.

A letter issued by the Army was eventually hand-delivered by a mid-ranking police officer, who led some 20 officers both in and out of uniform to the Maneeya Building in Chidlom, where the FCCT is located.

The rights group also handed out a press release, in English, stating that the attempt by the military authorities to ‘ask for cooperation’ to cancel or postpone the talk “and the reiteration that if the organisers decided to press ahead with the event, they could face prosecution for violating the NCPO announcement which bans any political gathering, will also perpetuate the climate of fear ... and will lead to further infringement of human rights...”

“Such a consequence seems contradictory to the image the NCPO has tried to project by claiming that they have been performing their duties with due respect to human rights. It also highlights the grave human rights situation as of now.”

The Army letter requested that the organisers cancel the event and air any grievances through proper official channels.

Many foreign correspondents accompanied the speakers to the Chidlom BTS Skytrain station in case they were arrested on their way out.