Page 57 - Rights beautiful : collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik

Rights Beautiful Collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik

Natural Resources-Related

Conflict Management:

A Human Rights Perspective*

-Saneh Chamarik-
National Human Rights Commission, Thailand

Let me first of all heartily congratulate Khon Kaen University in
taking up the issue of natural resources management in this distinguished
forum. In view of the natural crisis and catastrophe all around us, this is a
most propitious time for our collective resolve, North and South/East and
West, to enlighten ourselves. And hopefully, that would also help stimulate
the process of social learning further down to the grassroots people and
communities as part and parcel of our invaluable resource base. That is
certainly one main function and commitment for all institutions of higher
learning. For reasons to be later touched upon, it has particular relevance to
Southeast Asia, and Thailand for that matter, which is the focus of our
attention here. By its own nature, it is bound to have a great bearing on the
matter of life and livelihood, that is to say, basic human rights. That is why
the whole issue comes well within the purview of our National Human
Rights Commission here in Thailand in carrying out its task of human
rights promotion and protection.
Incidentally, there is one interesting point to be observed in
passing here, that is, the very name of our organizing host: Institute for
Dispute Resolution. Curiously enough, in Thai it reads Sathaban Santi Suksa,
or literally Institute for Peace Studies. Both of course amount more or less
* Keynote address to The IDR-KKU International Conference on “Natural Resources-Related
Conflict Management in Southeast Asia”, Kosa Hotel, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 6-8
September 2005.

OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF THAILAND 51