Charter drafters to increase diversity of selection committee for Human Rights Commission 

The move is seen as response to points of concern raised by the International Coordinating Committee for National Human Rights Institutions (ICC). 
The ICC recently downgraded the Thai rights agency from A to B status.
The selection committee will be made up of nine experts, and will include one representative each from the Lawyers Council, a medical and public health professional council, and a media professionals’ council, as well as presidents of the Supreme Court, the House of Representatives, the opposition in Parliament, and judges of the Administrative Court, CDC spokesman Norachit Sinhaseni said on Saturday.
The fact that members of a media professionals’ council would be appointed would not be an issue, Norachit said. The selection committee would still choose individuals with proper credentials and backgrounds in related fields.
He said the organic law for the Human Rights Commission was based mainly on clauses in the referendumendorsed constitution, aiming to bring solutions to current issues.
The NHRC would be responsible also for explaining any human rights violation cases that did not appear to be true. Norachit said this was not so the agency would defend the government, but because this was its responsibility.