Rights Beautiful Collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik Natural Resources-Related Conflict Management: A Human Rights Perspective* -Saneh ChamarikNational Human Rights Commission, Thailand Let me first of all heartily congratulate Khon Kaen University in taking up the issue of natural resources management in this distinguished forum. In view of the natural crisis and catastrophe all around us, this is a most propitious time for our collective resolve, North and South/East and West, to enlighten ourselves. And hopefully, that would also help stimulate the process of social learning further down to the grassroots people and communities as part and parcel of our invaluable resource base. That is certainly one main function and commitment for all institutions of higher learning. For reasons to be later touched upon, it has particular relevance to Southeast Asia, and Thailand for that matter, which is the focus of our attention here. By its own nature, it is bound to have a great bearing on the matter of life and livelihood, that is to say, basic human rights. That is why the whole issue comes well within the purview of our National Human Rights Commission here in Thailand in carrying out its task of human rights promotion and protection. Incidentally, there is one interesting point to be observed in passing here, that is, the very name of our organizing host: Institute for Dispute Resolution. Curiously enough, in Thai it reads Sathaban Santi Suksa, or literally Institute for Peace Studies. Both of course amount more or less * Keynote address to The IDR-KKU International Conference on “Natural Resources-Related Conflict Management in Southeast Asia”, Kosa Hotel, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 6-8 September 2005. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF THAILAND 51