On 24 April 2009, in response to press queries, Mr. Tharit Charungvat, Director-General of Department of Information and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gives clarification on certain news reports that the UN Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict specified that Thailand was one of the twenty countries that use child soldiers. The gist of his clarification is as follows:
- Such news is factually incorrect. The aforementioned UN report does not specify that Thailand used child soldiers. The Report lists in its annex parties to conflict that are responsible for specific violations against children. Thailand is not on such list since it does not recruit child soldiers or use children in conflict. Moreover, Thailand firmly maintains that the situation in the country does not meet the criteria of armed conflict.
- Thailand was mentioned in the report, not in the context of child recruitment, but only in relation to the impact of violence on children in the Southern Border Provinces. In fact, the Report praised the efforts of the Royal Thai Government to protect the safety and enhance the development of children in the Southern Border Provinces, resulting in the sharp decline of the number of children killed or injured there.
- The Thai government has never used, nor has the policy to use, child soldiers. Thailand is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and is committed to the effective implementation of the obligations therein. The country’s domestic law guarantees that children under 18 shall not be recruited into the army or be involved in armed conflict. Those who breach the law will be prosecuted under the Criminal Code and the Child Protection Act B.E. 2003.
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
-PM-