Page 88 - Rights beautiful : collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik

Rights Beautiful Collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik

NHRC’s performance. The idea is to keep in touch with various civic and
vocational groups at all levels of society, both urban and rural. This is to be
two-way traffic and mutual-leaning and continuing process. And here, the
task of research, education and dissemination is to play a major role: i.e., to
keep the public informed and taking part in the social sanction and
enforcement of human rights promotion and protection.
One thing to be particularly stressed is that, in spelling out the
Thai NHRC’s considerable interest in the matters of public policy and long-
term development of human rights culture, it does not mean at all that
less attention would be given to the day-to-day human rights violations
which abound. On the contrary, it is well understood and agreed upon within
the current NHRC that every complaint or case known will be taken up, and
proceeded even further beyond remedial measures of specific cases. That is
to say, all the cases that have gone through the sub-Commissions concerned
will be registered and taken up for study or research with a view to legal
reform, or rectification of public policy if necessary. In dealing with the
matters of public policy, it is also understood that the NHRC takes it as
a rule not to interfere with the Government’s decision making in carrying
out its executive authority. It is to be concerned strictly with the question of
human rights violations as prescribed by the Constitution, such as the rights
of expression, to be informed, to participate in public hearing, etc. If the law
and policy execution turns out to be unjust or inappropriate, then a change
or correction is to be recommended accordingly.

Summing up: regional perspective
Thai society, like many other fellow Southeast Asian neighbours
has been going through structural changes under the adverse impact of
economic development and globalization during the past four decades.
Notwithstanding attempts at democratic reforms under the forces of
popular uprisings in the 70s and 90s leading up to the current People’s
Constitution of 1997, the legacy of authoritarianism traditionally built into

82 OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF THAILAND