Thailand bans Amnesty meeting on torture

Police say speaking at event is a breach of the labour laws

BANGKOK // Thai authorities yesterday blocked an Amnesty International news conference on torture in the kingdom, the human rights campaign group said.

Two foreign Amnesty Interna- tional staff were scheduled to speak at the Bangkok launch of a report shedding light on 74 cases of torture by Thai soldiers and police, but the meeting was cancelled.

Amnesty was told by labour officials and police yesterday that speaking at the event could be grounds for arrest, said the organisation’s spokesman, Omar Waraich.

“The authorities said to us that if any representatives from Am- nesty International spoke at the event, they would be in breach of Thailand’s labour laws,” he said.

All of the speakers had business visas and were in touch with local authorities before the conference, he said.

The report accused the junta of allowing a culture of torture to flourish since its power grab two years ago.

It described abuse suffered by detainees, including beatings, partial suffocation, choking, waterboarding and electric shocks.

Junta spokesman Winthai Suvaree said he was not aware of officials’ interference with the event but denied any torture under the military government.

“The information they had on torture was probably 10 to 20 years old,” he said.

“Their sources might not be trustworthy.”