Page 22 - รายงานผลการประเมินสถานการณ์ด้านสิทธิมนุษยชนของประเทศไทย ปี 2563

Executive Summary

The compilation of this assessment report on Thailand’s human rights situation
is carried out according to the duties and powers of the National Human Rights Commission
of Thailand (NHRCT) as stipulated in Section 247 (2) of the Constitution of the Kingdom

of Thailand B.E. 2560 (2017), and Section 26 (2) of the Organic Act on the National Human
Rights Commission of Thailand, B.E. 2560 (2017). In preparing this report, the NHRCT
has compiled information from all human rights-related events which happened in 2020, consisting
of measures taken by government agencies, information from civil society organizations,
the work of the NHRCT itself, and information obtained from various meetings and

seminars attended by various stakeholders. The gathered information was then analyzed within
the framework of the various human rights guaranteed by the Constitution, domestic laws,
and treaties which Thailand is a party to and has an obligation to comply with. On such
basis was the situation on human rights assessed, and the recommendations then made
accordingly. The content of this report was divided into four parts according to the
classification found in international human rights treaties and the significant human rights

issues in Thailand’s context in 2020. They are: (1) assessment of human rights situation
in specific circumstances (2) assessment of human rights situation relating to civil and
political rights (3) assessment of human rights situation relating to economic, social and
cultural rights, and (4) assessment of human rights situation of specific groups of persons.
The gist of the report can be summarized as follows:

(1) Assessment of Human Rights Situation
in Specific Circumstances

In 2020, there are two significant circumstances which affect human rights.
They are the severe spreading of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic, and a series
of political protests by school and university students and like-minded people.

The COVID 19 pandemic has prompted the Thai government to declare a state of
emergency to set out measures for controlling the spread of the disease, some of which

put additional restriction on certain rights and liberties of the people, e.g., prohibition of
cross-provincial travel, enforcement of curfew requiring people to stay in their homes during
certain hours, and prohibition of gathering or assembly. The above-mentioned measures are
necessary and proportionate with the severity of the situation, and proved to be effective
by concrete evidence. However, the government lifted or eased some of those measures

when the situation had improved. Simultaneously, the government came up with measures
to assist different groups of people whose livelihood had been affected economically, such
as labour workers, the elderly and people with disabilities. Realizing the need to protect the
right to an adequate standard of living of the affected people, the government introduced

20 คณะกรรมการสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งชาติ
National Human Rights Commission of Thailand