Amnesty International calls on Thailand to help stop Myanmar violence

Amnesty International yesterday called on Thailand to help stop the violence in Myanmar. The organisation marched to the UN building on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road to submit a letter urging the Thai government to help, as Thailand is the host of the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

The letter listed four demands:

• The Thai government should use every possible means to create a safe environment for access to humanitarian assistance across the border.
• Thai authorities were urged to work with ASEAN member states, multilateral groups and international organisations such as the United Nations to address the human rights and humanitarian crises in Myanmar.
• Accept asylum seekers and ensure access to humanitarian assistance while in Thailand, as well as refrain from deporting them. They should be protected and not prosecuted during their stay here.
• Thai state agencies were urged to issue announcements, regulations or ministerial regulations to ensure that businessmen and state enterprises follow the UN Principles on Business and Human Rights and not have any links with the Myanmar army, its affiliates, and human rights violators while being fully responsible for this.

Amnesty’s Thailand director said that almost two years after the military coup of February 2021, more than 1.4 million people in Myanmar have been displaced. The director noted that 7.8 million children have left school, and 12,839 were detained in inhumane conditions. At least 73 people were on death row, the director said.

The director, Piyanuch Kotsan, also noted that Myanmar’s army has ignored ASEAN’s Five Point Consensus, which outlines human rights standards for the country to implement.

The consensus demands that Myanmar halt violence from all parties and use constructive dialogue to seek peace. It also said that a special envoy of the ASEAN chair should facilitate the mediation process, with help from the ASEAN secretary-general. Last year, ASEAN blocked the junta from key meetings when it failed to honour the consensus.

So far, 2,129 people have signed a petition on change.org addressed to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, calling on him to “end the bloodshed in Myanmar.”

Myanmar’s junta government, which came to power through a coup in February 2021, has faced multiple accusations of human rights abuses and war crimes.