Blind demand apology from minister over remark

Senator Montien Boonton, and Law lecturer from Thammasat University Wiriya Namsiripongpan

Thailand Association of the Blind president, Senator Montien Boonton, and Law lecturer from Thammasat University Wiriya Namsiripongpan held a press conference yesterday about the minister's comment. It claimed in an interview with Matichon newspapers on June 11 Chaovarat said giving Bt2,000 to the blind was not a vote buying action because blind persons were legally incompetent and had no right to vote.

Monthien said such a comment reflected a negative viewpoint against the blind and a lack of maturity, especially from a man who was former social development and human security minister. He explained the blind were not legally incompetent because the civil law's article 28 stipulated that legal incompetence required a court order, therefore blind people were not incompetent.

Besides, there was no law indicating the blind had no right to vote as casting ballots was a Thai citizen's duty, he said.

Monthien said that, knowing the government had such an immature person in its ranks, he as a senator could no longer trust this person to be among decision makers on the country's budget. He urged PM Abhisit Vejjajiva to consider whether the premier would protect and allow such a person of limited knowledge, who spoke and confused the public, to continue administrating the country's budget.

"Now thousands of members in the Thailand Association for the Blind, and many more blind people outside are unhappy with Chaovarat. If he doesn't offer an apology to the blind people in public, they would pursue legal action against him," he said, adding the association would co-ordinate with disabled persons' organisations to create a movement.

Wiriya said Chaovarat's comment was an insult to human integrity protected by the 2007 national constitution, and an unjust discrimination against the blind. If the minister didn't offer his apology, they would file a police complaint against him for libel and a possible breach of the national constitution.