Each year, a few countries loudly denounce these evaluations and the so-called unfair treatment they receive from the US government. Such protests are usually confined to a small group, consisting of countries like China, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Burma. Indeed, these countries are not major recipients of US assistance. Other nations do not bother to protest. There are many similar reports concerning religious freedoms and drug and money laundering, but these do not produce the kind of fireworks the US State Department's human-rights report is able to bring about.

For Thailand, this report used to be problematic, because of the attitude of the Thai government under deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra. He wanted to show the world that Thailand was a truly democratic country that respected human rights, so he tried to dispute accounts prepared by foreign organisations on this issue. He also refused to allow UN representatives to visit the Kingdom on fact-finding missions.

Thailand's National Human Rights Commission at one point came out with its own human-rights report covering two years under Thaksin's rule. These findings were far more severe and contained more case-by-case details of human-rights-related issues than any of the US reports. Unfortunately, Thaksin turned a blind eye to the report and ignored it completely.

The latest report on Thailand released by the State Department is an interesting document. Washington was obviously very careful in describing the overall human-rights situation in Thailand and avoided judgemental evaluations. The report contained factual, verified reports from newspapers and interviews. There were some errors, but that had to do with the follow-up assessment, such as the progress made on lifting martial law in various provinces.

Since the report overlaps two governments, it provides a rather clear contrast. Certain violations in the previous government continue to occur under this administration, such as the culture of impunity within the police force, who are well versed in torture and the art of disappearances. Despite the Surayud government's promise that there would not be any human-rights abuses on its watch, there were still some breaches of human rights reported, although not as severe as in the past. Despite the government's pledge to respect freedom of expression and press freedom, certain government agencies and officials continue to intimidate the media. But overall, there is more freedom of expression now than under the elected government of Thaksin.

The State Department's report on human rights around the world does not, of course, contain an assessment of the US. Criticism levied against the US government for human-rights violations it has committed against its citizens and foreigners, such as those being held in the infamous Guantanamo Prison, and for interrogations in the US concerning terrorism after the September 11 tragedy is now widespread.

In one way, the report highlighted US hypocrisy in its promotion of human rights inside its own country. However, one thing is positive about the US: everyone can easily read about the topic. The US media, including civil-society organisations, have continued to speak out against the US government's high-handed policies.

For better or worse, the US human-rights report can serve as a yardstick. It gives an idea of how the US views other countries. Of course, the ideal scenario would be for each nation to conduct its own truthful assessment of human rights, so that their own people are informed. But in the absence of that, the US report is useful to help us understand our neighbours and ourselves. The Thai government has taken the right attitude towards the report this year; that is to say, not the confrontational one of the Thaksin years.