Yesterday I had a chance to be a moderator in the Optional Protocol of the Preventing ill-treatment through the OPCAT Seminar for Thai government officials at Rama Garden Hotel, Bangkok.
My role is to moderate the session on Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment (OPCAT) in Thailand – different perspectives from 4 speakers, i.e., Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn from Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University; Khun Santi Latifi from National Human Rights Commission of Thailand; Khun Lawan Onsamlee from Department of Correction; and Khun Pitikan Sitthidej, Deputy Director General Rights and Liberties Protection Department, Ministry of Justice.
The outputs of the seminar show that the OPCAT is created to support the Convention against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment (CAT) by setting pro-active mechanisms to prevent torture and CID (cruel, inhuman and degrading) in place of detention, that is, the Subcommittee on Preventive of Torture (SPL) as an international mechanism and National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) as a domestic mechanism. These mechanisms would be tools to prevent torture and CID situation, which is one of the main aims of CAT, which obligates all parties to the Convention, including Thailand. However, the currently to-do process is to be a party of the OPCAT of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department, Ministry of Justice.
In addition, apart from these mechanism, there are some other mechanism, which are also effects due to the obligation under CAT, for instance, Torture Rapporteur or the ASEAN human rights mechanism.