Rights commission receives 356 complaints in first half of fiscal 2022

Pithakpol Boonyamalik, secretary-general of the NHRC Office, said the complaints were filed from October 2021 to March 2022. The commission decided to proceed with 284 complaints, or 79.77 per cent of those received.

He said the NHRC had rejected 72 complaints — 20.23 per cent — on grounds that some incidents had already been submitted to court for trial and other cases were under the jurisdiction of other agencies.

Pithakpol said the NHRC’s help was sought the most during the period regarding the following:

— Rights and freedom of life and body

— Rights related to the justice system

— Rights and sexual equality and women’s rights
— Community rights

— Individual rights over assets

Of the 284 cases the NHRC decided to proceed with, the commission has conducted investigations into 161 complaints and 108 investigations have been completed.

In the 108 cases, the NHRC has made recommendations for the protection and promotion of human rights to the concerned government agencies or to the Cabinet, Pithakpol said.

He said the NHRC had sought cooperation from concerned government agencies to protect human rights in 68 cases, and affected persons in 62 of the cases have received help.

For example, the authorities have sped up the process for complainants to receive due benefits from the Corrections Department and some complainants have had their nationality endorsed.

The NHRC has also helped some complainants to have their home-school study endorsed.

Pithakpol said the NHRC has also helped complainants in 51 other cases, mostly about seeking legal advice. The Law Society of Thailand has been asked to provide help to them, the secretary-general added.

Also during the same period, the NHRC has made recommendations to the government related to the national park act and wildlife protection act. The NHRC has also asked the government to provide public toilets for LGBT people, Pithakpol said.