This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

020614Z May 06

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 002548 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2016 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KUNR TH UNHRC UN
SUBJECT: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL - THAILAND SEEKS U.S. 
SUPPORT 
 
REF: A. A. STATE 66050 
 
     ¶B. B. BANGKOK.2420 
     ¶C. C. STATE 60967 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton by reasons 1.4 (b) ( 
d) 
 
 ¶1.  (U)  This is an action request.  Please see paragraph 5. 
 
¶2.  (C)  SUMMARY.  On April 28, POLOFF delivered demarche 
(reftel A) to the Thai MFA regarding Iran's candidacy for 
the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).  The MFA confirmed 
Thailand's own candidacy within the Asia Group for a UNHRC 
seat presented their "Voluntary Commitments."  Thailand is 
concerned over their chances of being elected because most 
countries have already committed to an "exchange of votes" 
and their own lack of "natural constituencies."  Thailand 
is seeking active U.S. support for their candidacy. 
Regarding Iran's candidacy, Thailand feels uncomfortable 
criticizing their competitors for concerns that may reflect 
negatively on it own candidacy.  FM Kantathi Suphamongkhon 
is requesting a call with the Secretary to discuss Thai 
candidacy for the UNHRC.  End Summary. 
 
MFA CONFIRMS THAILAND'S CANDIDACY TO THE UNHRC 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  POLOFF met with Ms. Phantipha Iamsudha, 
Counselor of the Social Division of the Department of 
International Organization at the MFA regarding the 
upcoming UNHRC elections.  Phantipha confirmed that 
Thailand has decided to run for a seat (reftel B), and 
presented Thailand's "Voluntary Commitments" (see text 
below).  Thailand believes that they hold a good human 
rights record (including being State Party of five of the 
seven core international human rights instruments) relative 
to other nations in the Asia Group, and that their "unique 
geo-strategic" position give them credibility to "both 
sides - the U.S. and the developing countries."  Phantipha 
explained that Thailand is interested in a seat to the 
UNHRC because membership would deepen their own domestic 
commitments to respecting human rights. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Phantipha stated that despite wide support 
expressed by many countries and NGOs, Thailand was 
concerned that most nations had already committed an 
"exchange of votes."  Furthermore, Thailand lacks the 
advantage of "natural constituencies" that candidate 
countries in OIC, the Commonwealth or "Francophones" 
enjoy.  Therefore, Thailand hopes that the U.S. can 
actively lobby and encourage other nations to support 
Thailand's candidacy to the UNHRC. 
 
ACTION REQUEST: CALL WITH THE SECRETARY 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The MFA has requested a call between FM Kantathi 
Suphamongkhon and Secretary Rice to discuss Thailand's 
candidacy.  Kantathi would like to personally advise the 
Secretary that Thailand seeks a seat on the new UNHRC  and 
 
SIPDIS 
wishes U.S. support.  MFA hopes the call can be arranged 
early next week. 
 
RELUCTANCE TO TAKE POSITION ON IRAN 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C)  When POLOFF presented reftel A request, Phantipha 
explained since Iran is also a candidate in the Asia Group 
for a seat on the HRC, Thailand feels "uncomfortable to 
criticize Iran" in light of their own candidacy.  They 
believe that their criticisms would be viewed as 
self-serving, and suggested that perhaps the U.S. would 
have more credibility to make a case against Iran. 
Phantipha explained that Thailand has yet to commit to any 
candidate but is looking at the overall picture of 
candidate nations from each region before making their 
final decision. However, Thailand holds that selection 
criterion should reflect the candidate country's own human 
rights conditions domestically, as well as the country's 
legal commitment and implementation of human rights 
instruments. 
 
(SBU) BEGIN TEXT: 
 
Thailand's Voluntary Commitments 
-------------------------------- 
 
Thailand is firmly committed to the respect for human 
dignity, justice, compassion, non-discrimination and a 
sense of mutual obligations to fellow human beings, which 
together constitute core human rights principles.  On 
December 10, 1948, Thailand joined the other 47 Member 
States of the United Nations in voting to adopt the draft 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Since then, 
Thailand has gradually accepted international legal 
obligations concerning human rights.  Thailand is, at 
present, a State Party to 5 out of the 7 core international 
human rights instruments.  They are the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the 
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural 
Rights (ICESCR), the Convention on the Rights of the Child 
(CRC), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of 
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Convention on 
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 
(CERD).  Thailand is also a State Party to the Optional 
Protocol to CEDAW, thereby accepting individual complaints 
regarding alleged violations of the CEDAW.  Most recently, 
in January and February 2006, Thailand became a State Party 
to the 2 Optional Protocols to the CRC on the sale of 
children, child prostitution and child pornography and on 
the involvement of children in armed conflict, 
respectively. 
 
Furthermore, Thailand is a State Party to 5 out of the 8 
core conventions under the International Labour 
Organization pertaining to forced labour and its abolition 
(Conventions no. 29 and 105), equal remuneration between 
men and women for work of equal value (Convention no. 100), 
minimum age for employment (Convention no. 138), and the 
prohibition and elimination of worst forms of child labour 
(Convention no. 182).  Thailand is also a State Party to 
the four Geneva Conventions on international humanitarian 
law of 1949. 
 
Thailand's aforementioned legal obligations are given 
effect to under Thai law.  In particular, Thailand's 
present Constitution of 1997 guarantees civil, political, 
economic, social and cultural rights and fundamental 
freedoms for all, in line with its international legal 
obligations.  Various mechanisms have also been set up 
under the present Constitution to advance the cause of 
human rights within the country.  They are the National 
Human Rights Commission, the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the 
Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court. 
 
Moreover, Thailand attaches great importance to the 
preparation and presentation of its reports to the relevant 
treaty bodies.  In July 2005, Thailand submitted its ICCPR 
initial report to the Human Rights Committee, and in 
January 2006, submitted its periodic reports to the CEDAW 
and CRC Committees.  Due regard is given to the 
observations and recommendations made by these treaty 
bodies. 
 
At the regional level, Thailand fully supports initiatives 
to enhance dialogue and cooperation among countries within 
the region, such as the annual Canada-China-Norway 
Symposium on Human Rights.  Initiatives to discuss the 
possibility of establishing human rights mechanisms at the 
regional and sub-regional level is also very much 
encouraged by Thailand. 
 
Over the years, Thailand has played host to several 
regional and sub-regional meetings and workshops on human 
rights, in cooperation with the Office of the United 
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR).  For 
example, in 2001, Thailand hosted the Ninth Asia-Pacific 
Workshop on Regional Cooperation for the Promotion and 
Protection of Human Rights.  In 2004, Thailand hosted the 
Inter-Sessional Workshop on National Human Rights Plan of 
Action and Human Rights Education in the Asia-Pacific 
Region and the Sub-Regional Workshop on the Implementation 
of the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the 
Rights of the Child. 
 
Thailand recognizes a strong linkage between human rights 
and human security.  Thailand is a Member of the Human 
Security Network (HSN) which is a group of 14 like-minded 
countries from all parts of the world working together to 
guarantee freedom from fear, freedom from want and human 
dignity for all.  Activities in the area of human rights 
under HSN are such as the promotion of human rights 
education, the protection of and assistance to children 
affected by armed conflicts and the promotion of the 
implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 on 
Women, Peace and Security.  Thailand sees the HRC as a 
turning point in the promotion and protection of human 
rights and looks forward to contributing to the work of the 
HRC, especially in its formative first session. 
 
in light of its candidature of election to the Human Rights 
Council and in accordance with paragraph 8 of resolution 
60/251, Thailand pledges voluntary commitments as follows: 
 
Promotion and protection of human rights at the 
international level 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
------- 
 
Thailand will fully cooperate with the Human Rights Council 
in all of its endeavours to further the cause of human 
rights worldwide through constructive dialogue and 
cooperation. 
 
Thailand will continue to support efforts to mainstream 
human rights within the United Nations system. 
 
Thailand reaffirms its belief that all human rights are 
indivisible, interdependent and interrelated and will 
continue to promote and protect all human rights, be they 
civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and 
the right to development on an equal footing. 
 
Thailand will continue to support the work of various 
United Nations agencies and funds dealing with human rights 
matters such as the OHCHR, UNHCR, UNIFEM, INSTRAW and 
UNICEF, through, inter alia, financial contribution on a 
regular basis. 
 
Thailand will continue to support the work of National 
Human Rights Institutions for the promotion and protection 
of human rights, through, inter alia, regular financial 
contribution to relevant agencies such as the Asia-Pacific 
Forum of National Human Rights Institutions. 
 
Promotion and protection of human rights at the national 
level 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
Thailand will continue to mainstream human rights in all of 
its work at the national level. 
 
Thailand will continue to promote human rights education at 
all level as a tool to prevent human rights violations. 
 
Thailand will cooperate with the United Nations treaty 
monitoring bodies by implementing, to the best of its 
capacity, their concluding observations and recommendations 
in regard to Thailand. 
 
Thailand is considering becoming party to the Convention 
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading 
Treatment or Punishment. 
 
Thailand is in the process of taking steps under its 
constitution so as to become party to the United Nations 
Conventions on Transitional Organized Crimes, the Protocol 
to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, 
especially Women and Children, and the Protocol Against 
Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. 
 
Thailand is taking steps to become party to the 1977 
Additional Protocol I to the four Geneva Conventions on 
international humanitarian law of 1949. 
 
As a country that has played an active role in the United 
Nations Reform process, especially the reform of the United 
Nations human rights mechanisms, it is Thailand's 
aspiration to have an opportunity to participate in the 
first session of the Human Rights Council as one of its 
members.  Thailand has a high expectation of the work of 
the newly established Human Rights Council and will do its 
utmost to ensure that the Council becomes a main forum for 
constructive dialogue and cooperation on issues concerning 
human rights. 
 
END TEXT. 
 
BOYCE 
BOYCE