(The fact-finding mission, from 15 to 20 June, was convened by six regional NGOs based in Hong Kong to investigate the human rights abuses during the May 17-21 military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, including Asia Monitor Resource Center, Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples Asian Human Rights Commission, Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives, Asian Students Association and International Movement of Catholic Students - Asia-Pacific. - Editor)

Major violations of the basic rights of Thai citizens were committed by military and police forces in Bangkok during the period of 17-21 May 1992. The violations were contrary to the provisions of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is the principal conclusions reached by ten members of an international fact-finding mission on the final day of the investigation.

The violations included the summary execution of unarmed citizens who participated in or observed the massive demonstrations opposing the government of unelected Prime minister Suchinda Kraprayoon, mass arrests and arbritary detention, indiscriminate shootings, beatings and other forms of inhumane treatment, death threats, and the obstruction of medical personnel and services seeking to aid the wounded. We believe that the human rights situation remains unresolved to this moment.

As members of the mission - from seven countries - we draw attention to limitations of its investigation including insufficient amount of time and resources. We stress that not all evidence is in, and that several questions remain to be answered concerning the events which took place during the climatic week.

We regret that, apart from an interview granted by the President of Parliament Arthit Urairat, official government representatives were not able to meet with us. Nevertheless, the mission's examination of a wide range of documents, press coverage, video footage, photographs and publications, together with visits to hospitals and university campuses, meetings with leaders of professional and non-governmental organizations, and first hand testimonies from eyewitnesses and relatives of those killed or still missing, all led to these conclusions:

1. That the massive public street demonstrations, which began in April and built to numbers exceeding 200,000 per day, were almost entirely peaceful, both by design and in practice. The demonstrations reflected the will of many segments and all classes of Thai society for a more democratic government free from military control.
2. That the military and police actions directed by the Suchinda government to oppose and. disperse the protesters went far from being measures of crowd control. They approached in ferocity acts of violent suppression which reflected the code name given to them, "The Enemy's Destruction," strongly suggesting that the violence was carefully planned.
3. That the number of casualties, of which the official government figures now stand at 46 killed, given that over 700 are missing, are most likely higher by a factor of 10 or more. The mission was impressed by the careful enumeration and checking procedures adopted by the Hotline Tracing Centre located at Mahidol University, coordinating seven other centres seeking missing persons resulting from the events in May. Testimonies from eye-witnesses and families of the casualties leave little doubt in our minds that many victims remain to be accounted for - an accounting for which the military authorities and the government are responsible.
4. That no official emergency response was coordinated and initiated, leaving on-site medical care reliant on volunteer doctors (most of whom were inexperienced) and nurses. An organized team would have decreased morbidity and might have lessened mortalilty. Ambulances were actively prevented from gaming access to the casualties, and medical staff were physically assaulted and intimidated while carrying out their professional duties.
5. That evidence of eyewitnesses and medical personnel strongly suggests that indiscriminate shootings of people on the streets took place during the 4-day period. There is also evidence of ill treatment of detainees, including death threats and beatings.
6. That restrictions were imposed on the right to counsel and the security of lawyers. While lawyers from the Law Society of Thailand had no difficulty in visiting persons detained at police stations, lawyers from human rights organizations were denied access to prisons. Moreover, some lawyers as well as others human rights advocates are still receiving death threats up to the present time.
7. That some evidence strongly suggests, but does not confirm, the use by military and police forces of agents provocateurs, to incite protesters to acts of violence, and to suggest to the general public that the demonstrators were involved in burning buildings in downtown Bangkok. Acts of violence did take place during this period including exchanges of stones and bricks and other objects by police and demonstrators alike. These acts were vastly disproportionate in extent and lethality.
8. We believe that no demonstrators used guns, let alone those with the destructiveness of M16 automatic weapons. Moreover both Thai and foreign journalists reported observing brick-throwers on the side of the demonstrators later chatting and mingling with the police. There were also reports that persons who burned a police station wore bullet-proof vests, and that police had been removed from the station before it was burned.
9. That during the 47 days in which General Suchinda acted as prime minister, radio and television stations succumbed to government manipulations and control, in marked contrast to the spirited independence of reporting and opinion maintained by the principal newspapers, both Thai and English.
10. Far too little attention has been given to those bereaved, or still awaiting word of missing relatives. Families of missing persons are known to have been blocked by the authorities from obtaining information ab6ut them. Whereas it is noted that that the Social Welfare and Interior Departments have given financial aid to the bereaved families, support has not been extended to the families of missing persons.

From these conclusions, we make the following recommendations:

1. The Mission calls for international initiatives which clearly recognize and give support to the many Thai organizations and individuals seeking to bring about a fully just and democratic society. This includes organizations working for constitutional changes to eliminate the military's role in politics and for free and fair elections; the lifting of all restrictions, censorship and control over the press; removal of all obstructions on medical treatment of injured; training and education of military and police for democracy and human rights; and assurance of the security of witnesses willing to tell their stories to impartial public inquiries on the tragedy in May. We fully support these initiatives.

2. The Mission recommends that people worldwide press those governments which provide military and development assistance to Thailand to link such assistance to indices of human rights.
3. The Mission recommends that the governments and non-governmental organizations alike seek to strengthen regional initiatives and organizations for human rights and democratic development in Asia.

In addition, we recommend not only the continuing support of those NGOs, making financial resources available, and also cutting back those factors which enhance the spread of militarization: the production and distribution of repression technology, the training of elite commandos in covert acts of destruction, the spread of war toys and computer games of death, and the increasing portrayal of

violence on television.

4. The Mission supports the call by the people of Thailand for a comprehensive, independent, and public commission to bring forward all information about the tragic events of 17-21 May in Thailand.
5. The Mission recommends that people worldwide support the call of the people of Thailand that: a) all those responsible for the violations of human rights be brought to justice; b) the top military commanders be suspended during the period of investigation in order to facilitate the process of democratization; and c) the Amnesty Decree be revoked.
6. The Mission recommends that a repetition of the 17-21 May incidents be prevented by setting limits for the declaration, duration and scope of a state of emergency including: a) subjecting the declaration to the Members of the fact-finding mission approval by Parliament and providing that Parliament cannot be dissolved during the state of emergency; b) requiring that the government may not deny or derogate basic human rights even during state of emergency; and c) prohibiting military and police forces from preventing or obstructing medical or legal personnel from rendering professional services to those who need it.

The Mission recommends further that legislation be enacted requiring the military and police to report promptly all arrests to the judicial authorities and members of the arrested person's family.

7. The Mission recommends that the Thai government ratify the international covenants on human rights and their protocols and provide effective machinery for their implementation.
8. The Mission recommends that the UN Human Rights Commission, the UN Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Executions, and the UN Working Group on Enforce of Involuntary Disappearances take the reception of this Report as the Mission's request to place the events of 17-21 May 1992 in Thailand on their agendas for urgent review and action.

Finally, the Mission wishes to express its admiration for the courage and persistence of the people to establish democracy and social justice in Thailand, we particularly sympathise with the bereaved for the death of their loved ones, and for those families and relatives of the missing.

A report encompassing the conclusions and recommendations from this mission will be sent to, among others, the Regional Council for Human Rights in Asia, the United Nations' Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, the Institute for Human Rights, Environment, and Development, Asiawatch and Article 19.