PANEL BACKS 'WHISTLE-BLOWER'

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has jumped to the defence
of one of its members who was threatened with impeachment after
speaking to the United Nations about the ongoing war on drugs.

Pradit Charoenthaithawee was threatened with impeachment by Thai Rak
Thai spokesman Suranand Vejjajiva after speaking to the world body
about the government's drug blacklists, extra-judicial killings, and
an alleged failure to bring to court cases involving drug-related deaths.

Dr Pradit subsequently denied a Foreign Ministry report claiming he
had asked Asma Jahangir of the UN Human Rights Commission to
investigate drug-related deaths in Thailand.

NHRC member Charan Ditha-apichai said yesterday the impeachment threat
suggested the government was unable to accept criticism from
independent watchdogs.

''Whenever someone says something the prime minister doesn't like, he
asks MPs to threaten impeachment,'' he said. ''That is an abuse of
political authority.''

Mr Charan said the international community was interested in learning
about the country's war on drugs, and that Dr Pradit had simply passed
on the facts.

''If the government thinks Dr Pradit said something wrong, then it
must accept that what it is doing [in the crackdown] is also wrong,''
he said.

Mr Charan said the impeachment threat had rendered the work of the
NHRC and other independent organisations impossible to carry out.

''Thai Rak Thai has warned other bodies not to act like the NHRC, or
they will also be impeached','' he said.

NHRC chairman Saneh Chamarik said his organisation supported the
government's drug suppression policies, but wanted to see them carried
out within the boundaries of the law, and in a manner that did not
have an adverse impact on the country's reputation.