Press Release.............................. UNESCAP News Services

20 May 2003

Background Note No: B/1/2003

UN Special Representative Arrives in Thailand

The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders, Ms Hina Jilani, has arrived in Thailand as part of a 10-day fact-finding mission to evaluate the situation of human rights advocates.

Ms Jilani, a Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, will meet with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other senior government officials in her efforts to gather information that may affect the protection and promotion of human rights defenders within the kingdom.

The visit of the UN envoy comes in the wake of Thailand's controversial three-month war on drugs, during which period police say 2,275 people were killed, sparking speculation of extra-judicial killings.

"I know it has caused a great deal of concern in different quarters, including the UN," Ms Jilani told reporters, adding that reviewing extra-judicial killings is not part of her mandate.

"Nevertheless, those who are raising the issue of extra-judicial killings are human rights defenders, and their fate and their ability to be able to raise the issue is something that falls within that mandate. So in that context it will be something I will be looking at," she said at the UNDP offices in Bangkok.

Ms Jilani, who is here on the invitation of the Thai Government, said she would also consult with non-government organizations and human rights activists who deal with civil rights issues. She said she will conduct interviews throughout the week in Bangkok, the northern city Chiang Mai, and the southern town of Hat Yai.

She will hold a press conference on Tuesday 27th May, the final day of her visit, at which she will provide some preliminary conclusions on her findings. She will later present a report to the UN Commission on Human Rights at its 60th session in April 2004.

The Secretary General appointed Ms Jilani to her position in August 2000. Her mandate requires her to examine the role and situation of human rights defenders around the world and to take action towards strengthening their protection and implementation of the Declaration on human rights defenders.

She is required to report every year to the UN Commission on Human Rights and the UN General Assembly on her observations, concerns and recommendations.

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