Article 11 “The government should ensure that vulnerable groups have access to legal advice and representation” Commentary Ms. Suwanna Suwanjuta, Director-General of the Department of Rights and Liberty Protection, Ministry of Justice, is aware of the efforts being made by the National Human Rights Commission on behalf of this man to bring about justice. She says that although the case may have already been closed, there is still a way for the courts to remedy the situation. According to the Criminal Case Reconsideration Act (1979), if it can be proven that the convicted man is in fact not guilty, compensation and reparation may be granted by the Department of Rights and Liberty Protection in accordance with the Remuneration for Victims Act (2001). It is important to note that this man is not the only inmate convicted of a crime who might actually be innocent. According to Ms. Suwanjuta, the Possibly Innocent Inmate Examination Project, first implemented in 2007, found that more than 500 persons detained in 137 penitentiaries and prisons nationwide may be innocent of the crimes for which they have been convicted. Ms. Suwanna Suwanjuta It has been suggested that occurrences of injustice are more likely to occur at the beginning of investigations, for instance during arrest and interrogation, because people who are marginalized by society may not be aware of their rights and therefore can be more easily victimized. Ms. Suwanjuta notes that political reforms of the past decade have promoted access to the process of receiving justice. Insufficient collaboration is considered to be one of the problems of the criminal justice process in Thailand: with each department focusing solely on its own goals, there is a need for different departments to work more closely together towards the improvement of rights in the criminal justice process. Furthermore, the government should ensure that vulnerable groups have access to legal advice and representation, she recommends. Our Voices are Heard in Thailand 53