On 9 January 2012, Mr. Norachit Sinhaseni, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations, duly authorized and empowered by the Royal Thai Government, signed the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance at the Treaty Room of the Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations Headquarters, New York. The signing reflects Thailand’s political will to refrain from any act which would defeat the object and purpose of the Convention, as well as its determination to pass domestic laws in line with the obligations under the Convention to ensure the protection of all persons in Thailand from enforced disappearance.
The signing of the Convention can be seen as part of the implementation of Thailand’s commitments and voluntary pledges declared in its candidature for membership of the Human Rights Council (HRC) for the term 2010-2013. In addition, as part of the Thailand’s review under the HRC’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in October 2011, Thailand announced a number of voluntary pledges, which included becoming a party to the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The Convention will enter into force for Thailand after its ratification. Currently, the Ministry of Justice, the lead agency, is in the process of drafting/ amending laws to be in line with the Convention and subsequently proposing a draft Act to the Cabinet for its consideration.
The Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance is one of the nine core international human rights treaties. Thailand is currently party to 7 core treaties, namely: (1) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); (2) International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR); (3) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocol; (4) Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its two Optional Protocols on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict; (5) International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD); (6) Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT); and, (7) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Should Thailand ratify the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, this will be the eighth core international human rights treaty to which Thailand is a party. The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) is the ninth and the only remaining instrument to which Thailand is not yet a signatory or a party.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th