Thailand’s rights record is indefensible

The United Nations Human Rights Council, for all its inherent diplomacy, could hardly ignore the setbacks suffered in Thailand since the 2014 coup when it mulled its Universal Periodic Review this week in Geneva. The first UN scrutiny of the rights situation in Thailand since 2011 noted the repression ongoing here, the government opponents being jailed, the laws curbing freedom of speech, and the interference with the news media.

The delegates urged the junta to lift martial law and stop putting civilians on trial in military tribunals. It was suggested that it review the way the lese majeste law is used – not to protect the monarchy but to silence critics of military rule.

When the generals staged their coup in May 2014, the stated intention was to end the political bickering that was fostering violent street battles and impose in its place peace and stability. The aim was to “return happiness to the people”, and for the most part, the people welcomed the forced cessation of hostilities. Most citizens – including many in the warring political camps – were indeed happy to get on with their lives and, freed from the acrid smoke of gunfire and bombs, breathe a little fresh air.

Right from the start, the junta did what the military always does when it seizes power – put on a show of magnanimity. Thais became alarmed that they might not get to watch that year’s World Cup on television for free, so the generals ordered that the telecast be beamed into every household. Happiness prevailed.

And then it faded, gradually, little by little. It began to dawn on a larger segment of the public that the coup critics might be right, that Thailand was paying a high price for its enforced peace. Fundamental rights evaporated as hopes for a genuine Thai democracy receded into the future, along with the date for promised elections. In the past year, as a new constitution was pursued in earnest, it became increasingly apparent that the generals were intent on retaining much of the power they unlawfully seized, and that citizens have been allowed precious little say in their country’s political future.

So the murmur of dissent has grown louder. Speaking cautiously, given the threat of lengthy jail terms, more people are demanding to know what kind of country this will be under the new constitution and what role the military plans to play. It’s clear now that the generals are seeking to cement their place in national politics through clauses in the constitution that suggest permanence and pervasiveness.

As much as the citizenry welcomed the coup after a decade of chaos, Thais – at least the civilians – share the belief, based on long-held local wisdom rather than the tenets of global democracy, that there is no place in politics for the military.

And we have had enough of this junta’s brand of repression. Too many harmless individuals have been taken away for “attitude adjustment” at Army barracks. Too many people have been charged with lese majeste and been jailed or threatened with jail despite voicing no discontent with the monarchy. And too many voices from the international community have been raised in alarm for Thai nationalism to be evoked as a rational defence. Thailand is a part of the international community, and as such must abide by its strictures and commitments.

In Geneva, the Thai delegates repeated the explanation that the curbs on freedom of expression are aimed only at “those who stir up violence”. The “official line” convinced no one at the meeting and we know it to be untrue here. It’s time for the government to jettison its oppressive strategy and show the world that it is strong enough and confident enough in its plans for the future to weather domestic criticism.