Page 142 - Dignity and justice for all of us our voices are heard in Thailand

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
A woman, age 46
Leader of women’s and youth group
Samut Songkram province
“Every Thai citizen
should be
committed to
performing his/her
duties towards the
community”
130 Dignity and Justice for All of Us
Voice
A 46-year-old woman from Samut Songkram province, who is a leader of a women’s and youth
group, shares her view that all sectors of society should be aware of their community rights and
obligations. If people knew how to make use of their rights and perform their duties, she
argues, the majority of the people would have the opportunity to participate more in their
community and Thailand would be a more pleasant place in which to live.
She describes how her life changed when she started demanding that her community rights be
respected. As a member of a poor family in an isolated community, she provides examples of
the types of problems she faces in accessing services. She explains that one day, feeling
exasperated, she went to the police to explain the problems her community faced due to the
lack of proper roads and basic services. Since then, she has been involved in community
development and assisting the people of Mae Klong community to claim their community
rights and has continued doing so for more than 20 years. She was also one of the five people
who filed a petition to the Administrative Court against PTT Public Co. Ltd. (formerly the
Petroleum Authority of Thailand) at the time it was privatized. This resulted in a court order that
PTT return assets, including land, to the Ministry of Finance.
On the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, she
wishes to express that “While I do not understand human rights law and I do not know the
articles of the Universal Declaration, I know that every person has the right to live with dignity.
Every Thai citizen should be committed to performing his/her duties towards the community.
Yet today, we remain unaware of our own duties; we just wait for help from others without
performing our duties as good citizens.”