NHRC, Ombudsman merger will affect rights protection: HRW
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HUMAN RIGHTS Watch yesterday called on the Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) to preserve the integrity of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), adding that merging it with the Ombudsman's Office could affect rights protection, said Brad Adams
He added that this move would also affect Thailand’s standing in the international community.
“Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission and the Ombudsman serve very different purposes and shouldn’t be merged,” Adams said.
Doing so, he added, would mean that the CDC failed to understand that the two agencies had completely different mandates.
Adams said the biggest concern was the rights commission’s composition, independence and transparency.
“Instead of making an already weak human-rights agency even weaker, the Constitution Drafting Committee should be looking for ways to ensure a broad-based, effective and independent membership,” he said.
Poor diversity
According to the HRW Asia director, the current NHRC does not reflect diversity as it was mostly made up of state officials. The selection process, which denies public participation, is also an issue of great concern, Adams added.
He urged the CDC to respect and follow the principles of the United Nations, which lays down the fundamental grounds for the establishment of an independent and accountable rights watchdog.
Meanwhile, the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions has recommended that the NHRC ranking be downgraded to “B”. This decision could affect the NHRC’s international standing and the ability to present its views at the UN Human Rights Council.
The Office of the Ombudsman, meanwhile, is keen on the merger and has voiced its readiness to work with the NHRC. Siracha Vongsarayankura, from the Ombudsman’s Office, said earlier that he would like the CDC to clarify the tasks of the two institutions should they merge.
Meanwhile, the NHRC responded to the CDC’s decision to have it merged with the Ombudsman’s Office by issuing a statement in which it highlighted four reasons to preserve its integrity.
The first is protecting human rights in general; second is maintaining the NHRC’s status in accordance with the Paris Principles; and third is maintaining the consistency of its work and consequently the country’s standing in the international arena in terms of human rights.
Last, it pointed out, improving NHRC’s effectiveness in delivering swift and concrete results is a critical principle laid down by the 2014 provisional constitution.
Also yesterday, the NHRC submitted an official document to the CDC, the National Legislative Assembly, the National Reform Council, the National Council |for Peace and Order and the Cabinet stating its opposition to the |merger.
