Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) revealed that the NHRC Act, which came into effect on Tuesday, limited the power of the commission to set up a subcommittee to investigate complaints about human rights violations. iLaw quoted former NHRC commissioner Sunee Chairos as saying the new NHRC Act will lessen the agency’s ability to perform its duty. Sunee said she had previously warned about the limitations imposed by the new law and how it would impact the performance of the NHRC. She argued that hired academics or institutions cannot investigate human rights violations as well as the NHRC’s subcommittee, which is made up of experts in that field. This cannot be done by hired academics or institutions, she said.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 16, 2017 06:11 UTC