U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1997 - Thailand
Publisher | United States Department of State |
Publication Date | 30 January 1998 |
Cite as | United States Department of State, U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1997 - Thailand, 30 January 1998, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aa1c30.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, January 30, 1998.
THAILAND
Thailand is a democratically governed constitutional monarchy that until 1992 had a history of military coups and powerful bureaucratic and military influences on political life. The King exerts strong informal influence and has the constitutionally mandated power, to date never used, to veto legislation (requiring two-thirds of Parliament to override) or to dissolve the elected House of Representatives. The country adopted a new constitution in October. The coalition government, led by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai's Democrat Party, was formed in November following the resignation of prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. The judiciary is independent but subject to corruption. The security apparatus has wide-ranging legal powers, derived primarily from past militarily controlled administrations. Military leaders still have an informal but influential role in internal politics. Since 1992 the armed forces have become increasingly professional and increasingly subject to civilian control. The police have primary responsibility for internal security and law enforcement. Elements of both the armed forces and the Royal Thai Police have a reputation for corruption. Some members of the security forces committed serious human rights abuses. Thailand is a newly industrializing country with a strong free enterprise system. Serious economic decline during the year lowered national income sharply from its 1996 level of approximately $3,000 per capita. The Government generally provides protection for individual economic interests, including property rights. A lack of transparency in many governmental processes leads in some cases to discriminatory commercial treatment for favored firms and institutions. Although industrial and service sectors contribute more than half the gross national product, approximately 60 percent of the population is rural and agrarian. The Government's efforts to close the economic gap between the urban and rural populations have been largely ineffective. Rural dissatisfaction with land rights and tenure was the theme of large gatherings organized by the Assembly of the Poor in Bangkok. The Government generally respects the human rights of its citizens, but some significant problems remain. Police officers killed many criminal suspects while attempting to apprehend them, and police and government leaders tacitly appeared to endorse excessive violence in the treatment of narcotics trafficking suspects. The Government remained reluctant to prosecute vigorously those members of security forces who were accused of extrajudicial killings. Police occasionally beat suspects. An ingrained culture of corruption persists in many parts of the civilian bureaucracy and the security forces. Routine demands for bribes undermine the rule of law and permit a climate of impunity for various illegal activities, such as income tax evasion, gambling, trafficking, goods smuggling, and prostitution. Enforcement of a broad range of laws and regulations by police continues to be noticeably lax. Conditions in immigration detention facilities are poor, and the prolonged detention of aliens is a problem. The Chavalit government on occasion sought to discourage free speech, particularly with regard to the reporting of deteriorating economic conditions; journalists continue to practice some self-censorship. While the Government generally continued to adhere to its policy of providing asylum to those fleeing persecution from neighboring countries, there were several instances of their involuntary return to Burma and denial of asylum to members of Burmese ethnic minorities by military and civilian authorities. Legal and societal discrimination against women, violence against women and children, prostitution, and illegal and forced child labor persist. Societal discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities is a problem. The Government imposes restrictions on the movement of tribal people.