As Manchester City fans we must keep the faith and be not be too concerned over what recently appeared to be a Human Rights Watch attack on Thaksin Shinawatra. Although it was not the usual regurgitation of Military Junta nonsense, it was equally dishonest, in that it had been carefully cherry-picked from the Human Rights Watch Report 2007 by a highly paid professional activist trying to justify his existence.
The Human Rights Watch Report 2007 is available for anyone to read at HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH 2007. It is a huge document, and this is why the activist’s comments become questionable.
References to Thailand make up only the tiniest part of the report, with the retrospective allegations made against Thaksin for his war on Thai drug dealers making up an even smaller part. What the charge amounts to is that Thaksin was too rough in his war on the drug dealers who were corrupting and destroying Thailand’s children and youth.
The European Union itself is censured in the HRW report for its strong condemnation of the Military coup which ousted Thaksin’s democratic government. The HRW report also censures the European Union for not once criticizing Thaksin throughout the period of Thaksin’s five year democratic tenure. It also censures the EU for seeking a free trade agreement with Thaksin’s democratic government.
Let’s remember that the European Union is notably forthright in its condemnation of human rights violations across the World, and doesn’t pull its punches. You could be certain that if the EU had found anything wrong with Thaksin’s administration, it would have said so and acted without hesitation.
Like all organisations that conduct research and advocate action on human rights the Human Rights Watch has its imperfections and critics. But my intention here is not to criticise HRW, I have the utmost respect and admiration for the work they do around the World. My intention is rather to draw attention to the ways in which certain individuals and organisations seem to manipulate the news when it comes to the easy target that Manchester City Chairman Thaksin Shinawatra seems to present to the World.
Bob Walsh
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