• OPINION

  Thais leaving their mark in the law

  News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 20/12/2021

  » In 2021 Thailand benefited from at least two good pieces of news in regard to international law, a subject closely interlinked with international relations.

• OPINION

  Stop deporting Cambodian refugees

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 01/12/2021

  » The recent deportation of three internationally recognised Cambodian refugees provoked an international outcry, much to Thailand's embarrassment. The first two were deported from Thailand on Nov 9, while the third was sent back home on Nov 20 to also face the risk of political persecution. Such efforts to "push back" refugees have regrettably tarnished Thailand's generally commendable policy and practice of offering refuge to persons fleeing persecution and other dangers from foreign territories. This is all the more poignant since Thailand's human rights record is in the middle of being assessed in Geneva under the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

• OPINION

  UN review shows human rights flaws

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 17/11/2021

  » The international human rights system consists primarily of two parts: international human rights treaties to which countries are invited to become parties on the basis of their consent, and the UN's own jurisdiction, through the UN Human Rights Council, covering all countries even if they do not consent to the coverage. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) belongs to the latter part of the system and Thailand's recent appearance before this process on Nov 10, in public and online, was eye-opening.

• OPINION

  Protecting Southeast Asia's media

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 03/11/2021

  » There have been reports of attacks on journalists which cast a shadow of shame on the Southeast Asian region. Yesterday -- Nov 2 -- has also been designated as the International Day to end the impunity in relation to attacks on journalists.

• OPINION

  Advocating for Afghan girls' education

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 20/10/2021

  » Afghanistan is a rugged country of great beauty straddling Asia and Europe, and it has been the scene of warfare and contestation for decades. The Taliban, a group connected to extreme violence, especially in the late 1990s, emerged as the power in control of Afghanistan recently, due to the void left by outsiders. This is their second time in power and the world can remember all too well that from the mid-1990s until 2001, their rule at the time was harsh and brutal, especially in their clampdown on the rights of women and girls. The latter suffered immensely from a lack of access to school, while the former were also prevented from employment.

• OPINION

  Protecting rights of kids who protest

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 06/10/2021

  » One of the most disturbing issues in Thai society today is the number of children (under 18 years of age) who have been arrested and prosecuted for participating in political demonstrations. The most obvious incidents are the protests at Din Daeng intersection during the past few months. Do children have the right to participate, especially from the angle of freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, and what are the parameters?

• OPINION

  On torture and enforced disappearances

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 23/09/2021

  » The House's approval of bills on the prevention and suppression of torture and enforced disappearances last week is a welcome development to the human rights issue in Thailand.

• OPINION

  Grappling with human trafficking, forced labour

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 16/09/2021

  » Thailand's apparent failure to deal with the issue of human trafficking over recent months has resulted in a downgrade of its performance in the 2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) annual report, issued by the US in July.

• OPINION

  A multi-track strategy for North Korea

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 01/09/2021

  » North Korea or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been a conundrum for the international community for over half a century. Cloistered and undemocratic, the power base keeps a tight rein over its population with heavy surveillance and pervasive constraints. The latest news that recently it restarted to activate its nuclear facility at Yongbyon is most disturbing, as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has already imposed sanctions on the country to end its nuclearisation. Is there any strategy to deal with the country in an engaging manner?

• OPINION

  The crafting of Asean's 'protector' role

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 04/08/2021

  » The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was established just over a decade ago to promote and protect human rights in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Yet, its activities, to date, have been more to do with promotion activities, such as workshops, rather than protection measures, such as to receive complaints and to provide remedies.

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