The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kasit Pirom hosted a delegation of ambassadors from 15 EU countries on a two-day tour to meet with government agencies, NGOs and religious institutions located in the Deep South. Part of the tour included a visit to the Pattani office of the Working Group on Justice for Peace (WGJP), chaired by Angkhana Neelapaichit, on 3 May 2009. The visit, welcomed by WGJP, gave the group an opportunity to raise awareness on particular issues. They included the security of human rights defenders and the raids on their office over the last two months, to government representatives and international delegations.
During the meeting, Kasit and the EU delegates asked several questions ranging from the security of the office to the situation of the Deep South provinces. There was great interest in the overall performance of the current government in taking concrete steps to tackle the problems in the South. Mr. Kasit stated that the government is placing great importance on a civilian-led, peaceful approach towards this region and its various problems. The tour was meant to reassure the international community of the Thai government’s sincerity in solving the conflict in the South peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.
Mrs. Angkhana raised the role of the international community in supporting the government in their difficult task through international mechanisms thereby strengthening adherence to human rights and the rule of law, the pillars of democracy. She urged the Foreign Minister to officially invite Mr. Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial Executions and Prof. Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to investigate some of the allegations of human rights violations and make constructive recommendations to address these serious problems. Mr. Kasit expressed his government’s intention to accept this request. Mr. Philip Alston had made a request for an official visit to Thailand a few years ago but it had not been granted by the previous government. Finally, Mr. Kasit also confirmed that this government will hasten judicial procedures for significant human rights cases such as the Krue Se incident of 28 April 2004 and the disappearance of Somchai Neelapaichit.
WGJP greatly appreciates this initiative by the government to facilitate the visit by EU delegations to the South and the chance to exchange views along the way and thanks the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the positive expressions. This indeed represents a positive step towards finding peaceful ways to resolve the problems in the South and to make the voice of the local population heard by the government and the larger international community, a vital component in any strategy to change their situation from fear and violence to peace and security.
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