Human Rights Developments

Defending Human Rights

The Role of the International Community

The principal concerns of the international community continued to be the regional trade in narcotics and Thailand's recovery from the Asian financial crisis, but some governments remained engaged on refugee and human trafficking issues. Britain's foreign minister, Robin Cook, visited Tham Hin refugee camp on April 20, where he called for changes in Burma which would allow the refugees to return. Australia, Canada, the United States, and a number of European Union states agreed to resettle over 1,500 refugees from the Maneeloy Student Center. UNHCR continued to urge Thailand's provincial admission boards to apply a broad definition of refugee when screening asylum seekers. On October 17-18, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata visited Thailand. Ogata urged the Thai government to sign the 1951 U.N. Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and requested a UNHCR presence in the refugee camps and a greater role in determining who would be admitted into the camps as refugees. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai reportedly assured Ogata that the Thai government would not seek to repatriate Burmese refugees until UNHCR secured a presence on the Burmese side of the border and the U.N. agency was confident that returnees would not face persecution in Burma.

The trafficking of women and children to and from Thailand received attention in regional meetings. Delegates to the September 5-7 Asia-Pacific preparatory meeting of the U.N. World Conference against Racism, held in Bangkok, drew attention to the problem of human trafficking to and from Thailand.

The United States maintained a close relationship with Thai security forces. In May 2000, US, Thai, and Singaporean troops drilled for two weeks during "Cobra Gold"-

the largest joint military exercise organized by the United States in Asia. The U.S. government sought funds for fiscal year 2001 in excess of U.S. $5.8 million for State Department training and assistance programs to Thailand ranging from de-mining to counter-narcotics operations. An additional U.S. $27.287 million was requested to underwrite commercial military exports to Thailand.

Relevant Human Rights Watch

Reports:

Owed Justice: Thai Women Trafficked into Debt Bondage in Japan, 9/00