Thailand Universal Periodic Review Report Adoption
As delivered by Kevin Dolliver
Delegation of the United States of America
Human Rights Council 33rd Session
Geneva,
September 23, 2016
Thank you Mr. Vice President.
The United States welcomes the Thai delegation to the UPR Adoption session.
We welcome the Government’s decision to accept recommendations to ratify and strengthen implementation of various international human rights instruments. We urge the Government to fully implement these recommendations in deed and spirit.
We are also pleased the Royal Thai Government has agreed to return civilian trials to civilian courts, and we encourage the Government to expand this order to include the nearly 500 civilian cases currently pending in military courts.
We urge Thailand to give additional consideration to our other recommendations to:
- Lift undue restrictions on the exercise of fundamental freedoms, particularly NCPO Order number 7/2557, to allow all Thai people to participate fully in the political reform process.
- Rescind NCPO Orders 3/2558 and 13/2559.
- Eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for lèse majesté.
We believe that working toward the implementation of these recommendations in advance of the upcoming elections will help ensure that all Thais have a voice in determining Thailand’s political future.
We look forward to seeing your progress on implementing the recommendations the Government has accepted and on addressing human rights and fundamental freedoms generally over the course of the next five years.
Thank you.