Rights Beautiful Collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik The Role of National Human Rights Commission, Thailand * - Saneh Chamarik - Preliminary remarks On behalf of the Thai NHRC, let me first join in expressing our gratitude for the FNS’ continuing efforts in promoting human rights dialogues, and for giving us the opportunity to take part in this particular inter-regional forum. As a new comer with somewhat different background and incidence of human rights problems, one indeed expects in this process of consultation not only to learn, but also to be heard. Out of this process of mutual learning, a concrete programme of cooperation and coordination could then be arrived at for the common purpose of human rights protection and promotion. In discussing the role of national human rights commissions, it is extremely important to bear in mind three basic points of common understanding. These are inter-related. First is the question of the nature and reality of human rights itself. Notwithstanding universality as a matter of principle, human rights are concerned with the moral claims or ideas and practices created by people to legitimate particular interests in particular historical, social, and economic circumstances. To put it strictly on empirical ground, human rights constitute the straightforward result of people’s aspirations and struggles, and hardly characteristic of any specific culture * Presented at the Conference on National and Regional Systems for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, organized by the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, Strasbourg, France, October 7-11, 2002. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF THAILAND 67