International rights group calls national body to step down

The seven new members, approved by the Senate on May 1 in a closed session, include one who was a subject of a commission investigation and several with no experience in human rights.

Several highly qualified candidates were rejected, said New York-based Human Right Watch.

"Thailand is facing grave human rights challenges and needs a serious and committed commission to work on them," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

"Instead, inexperienced and unqualified people were placed on this commission in a way that clearly broke the rules. The best thing these members can do for human rights is to step down."

The seven nominees were: Pol Gen Vanchai Srinuwalnad, assistant commissioner general of the Royal Thai Police; Parinya Sirisarakarn, former member of the Constitution Drafting Assembly of Thailand (2007) and a prominent industrialist; Paibool Varahapaitoorn, secretary to the Office of the Constitutional Court; Visa Penjamano, inspector-general, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security; Taejing Siripanich, secretary, Don't Drive Drunk Foundation; Nirand Pithakwachara, former elected senator for Ubon Ratchathani; and Professor Amara Pongsapich, former dean, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.

The new commissioners did not come from a diverse range of social backgrounds, nor did any of them represent human rights groups, the Human Right Watch said in a statement.

More important, local human rights groups have protested that the new commissioners lack necessary first-hand experience in protecting and promoting human rights.

Vanchai, Parinya, Paibool, and Visa, in particular, have no experience at all and have no public record of demonstrating basic understanding of human rights.

In 2007, Parinya was named in a commission investigation as responsible for causing environmental damage in Thailand's northeastern region, where he holds a license to extract salt.

Parinya's lack of commitment to promoting universal human rights was evident in an oral presentation to the Thai Senate in which he dismissed "Western criticisms of Burma" as "foreign interference" in domestic affairs.

In that light, if made a commissioner, he stated that he would not welcome international intervention on human rights issues in Thailand.