Say no to Thailand's race for UNSC seat: Forum Asia
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The UN General Assembly (UN GA) to carefully consider Thailand’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC) given the country's poor human rights records, according to the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-As
The Geneva-based group of human rights networks said in a statement that Thailand's candidacy for the term 2017-2018 is questionable given the deteriorating human rights situation under the military government in the country.
In the statement, it said peace and security; development; and human rights are the three essential pillars of the United Nations (UN) and UNSC’s decisions on international peace and security will affect human rights.
“The international community should not entertain the Thai military government’s lip service to human rights. If Thailand aspires to be a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Thailand must fulfil its international human rights obligations, particularly those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Thailand is a state-party. It must improve the human rights situation at home and restore democracy,” says Evelyn Balais-Serrano, executive director of Forum-Asia.
The group calls on the UN General Assembly to carefully consider Thailand’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UNSC. If Thailand is successful with its candidature, the UNGA will be once again endorsing a non-democratic Government with a troubling human rights record, it said.
