AMNESTY TELLS GOVT TO ACT ON DEATH THREATS

Amnesty International has called on Thailand to protect the country's top
human rights official who claimed to have received death threats since
reporting on the country's violent anti-drug campaign to the United Nations.

Dr Pradit Charoenthaitawee, a national human rights commissioner, said he
had received several telephoned death threats but vowed to continue doing
his job.

The London-based human rights group said in a statement yesterday that the
Thai government "should do everything in its power to provide protection to
Dr Pradit and his family'' and "should immediately initiate an
investigation into these repeated death threats.''

Dr Pradit said he had been unfairly targeted for his effort to document the
country's anti-drug campaign.

"I am doing my job and will continue to do it, so those who have been
harassing me by telephone and threatening my life should stop,'' he said.

The Amnesty statement noted that members of Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai party have said they were considering a petition
for Dr Pradit to be ousted as human rights commissioner.

Those politicians said Dr Pradit had overstepped his bounds by complaining
to the UN about the high death toll from the anti-drug campaign. His action
has caused embarrassment for Thailand, they claimed. Amnesty welcomed Mr
Thaksin's appointment last week of two government committees to look into
drug-related killings, encouraging authorities to ensure prompt and
independent inquiries.