Thailand’s top government official said Friday that he would file for the expulsion of London-based human rights organization Amnesty International next week, citing the non-profit organization’s threat to the country.
Amnesty International has been accused of supporting a pro-democracy movement, which called for reform of the monarchy in Thailand and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha.
Seksakol Atthawong, a vice minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, claimed to have gathered 1.2 million signatures on a petition demanding for Amnesty International’s operating license to be canceled, without elaborating how the signatures were gathered.
The petition will be brought to the National Security Council and the Interior Ministry for further action next week, he said.
“This organization destroys the security of the country, it supports groups that want to topple the monarchy, it lacks impartiality and sided with an anti-government movement that is an anti-constitutional monarchy,” Seksakol told reporters.
In response, Amnesty urged the government to honor its human rights obligations, saying that any action taken to ensure public order and national security must be done “in accordance with international human rights law.”
Youth-led protests against Prayut’s government gathered pace late in 2020 and included unprecedented calls for royal reforms that triggered a crackdown by authorities.
More than 1,700 activists face security-related charges, including at least 169 charged under a strict lese majeste law that punishes perceived royal insults by up to 15 years in jail.
Amnesty International advocated for human rights during the pro-democracy movement and called for the release of detained protesters and the cessation of police violence.
A petition was later launched by a royalist group demanding the withdrawal of Amnesty International’s operating license in Thailand, which Seksakol claimed had accumulated 1 million signatures at the time.
Amnesty International responded by casting doubt on the signatures’ validity and launching “an internal investigation.”
The move against Amnesty International comes as the government seeks to pass the Draft Act on non-profit organizations, which was approved by the Cabinet last February.
Under the Draft Act, all civil society organizations in Thailand will be required to register with the Interior Ministry and declare their sources of annual operational funds.
Amnesty International had urged the government to withdraw the Draft Act, saying that the new law could “easily be misused to obstruct the work or even shut down” any civil society group in Thailand.
“If enacted, this Council of State drafted law would pose serious threats to the functioning of Thai civil society as well as have a deeply damaging impact on both donors and international non-governmental organizations working to address human trafficking and improve labor rights in Thailand,” it stated.
