Bangkok: An advisor to Human Rights Watch in Thailand has become the third prominent figure to condemn Thailand's border sound harassment as serious violation of the Convention Against Torture.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) announced that Mr. Sunai Phasuk, an Advisor to Human Rights Watch in Thailand, is the latest to join the voices of concern. He follows Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit, a member of the Thai Senate, and a senior official from the Thai Office of the Prosecutor General, in recognizing these actions as grave human rights violations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). This situation has cast a shadow over Thailand, drawing international criticism for its alleged human rights violations.
The CHRC quoted Mr. Sunai Phasuk, who remarked on the tactics used at the border. He stated that "the use of loudspeakers to sound bells and aircraft by Mr. Kan Jom Phalang is a psychological operation involving sound in torture, a violation of human rights, international law (especially the Convention against Torture) and Law of Thailand." The operation aims to project loud sounds across the barbed wire into Cambodian communities in the villages of Chork Chey and Prey Chan, violating the ceasefire agreement and instilling fear among the Cambodian populace.
The CHRC's report highlighted the concern over vehicles with loudspeakers being parked in martial law zones, which restrict access, especially at night. The questions raised about why the army has not intervened have intensified scrutiny on the matter.
On Oct. 11, the CHRC escalated their concerns by submitting an urgent appeal to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, urging action against the use of disturbing sounds as a means of intimidation and psychological harassment against Cambodian residents along the Cambodian-Thai border.