Amnesty International Thailand defiant over push for expulsion
Amnesty International warned of a clampdown on civil society and said it would continue to uphold human rights in Thailand, despite a 1.2-million signature petition calling for its expulsion from the country.
The petition was handed in at the Interior Ministry on Thursday by ultra-royalists led by Anon Saennan, former leader of Red-Shirt Villages of Thailand.
“The targeting of Amnesty is taking place against a backdrop of a growing intolerance for human rights discourse among Thai authorities,” Kyle Ward, Amnesty International’s deputy secretary general said on February 16. The anti-Amnesty campaign came at a time when Thai authorities were trying to pass a controversial law regulating non-profit organisations, he added, referring to the NGO draft bill being considered by Parliament.
The petition called on the ministry not to renew Amnesty International (AI)’s licence to operate in Thailand, accusing AI of interfering in Thailand’s affairs and indoctrinating people and especially children.
AI Thailand also acted to protect pro-democracy protesters who had violated the law and attacked the monarchy and government, the group said in a statement.
It added that AI Thailand’s latest international campaign asking foreigners to write letters to stop Thai government agencies taking legal action against Panusaya "Rung" Sithijirawattanakul over national security and lèse-majesté charges had “dismayed all Thais”.
The group added that AI Thailand did not respect the Thai judicial process and encouraged people to defame the monarchy.
"If the ministry renews the operating licence for Amnesty International Thailand, the group will oppose the move until the end," the statement added.