The human rights commission has called on the governing authorities to reject a plan to merge it with the Ombudsman, saying the work of the two bodies is vastly different.
The National Human Rights Commission on Wednesday released a statement opposing the move by the drafters of the new constitution. It was submitted to the chairmen of the National Council for Peace and Order, National Reform Council, the National Legislative Assembly, the cabinet and the head of the Constitution Drafting Committee.
The human rights commission has called on the governing authorities to reject a plan to merge it with the Ombudsman, saying the work of the two bodies is vastly different.
It asked the five bodies to review the plan to merge the two agencies into a single organisation which would be named "Office of the Ombudsman and Public Rights Protection".
The constitution drafters' plan is for the new agency to have the authority to file complaints with the courts, including the Administrative and Constitutional courts on behalf of people who claim their rights have been violated.
It would comprise 11 members working in 11 different areas such as judicial administration, women and children’s rights, and consumer rights.
The merger was intended to increase productivity and make it more convenient for people to lodge complaints.
The NHRC said the nature of complaints lodged with human rights experts and the Ombudsman's Office were distinctly different, as were work procedures, objectives and approaches.
Reducing the channels in which to seek help could mean lost opportunities for the public, it said.
It also doubted whether roles would be clarified and that the effectiveness of the Office of the Ombudsman and Public Rights Protection concerning human rights promotion and protection would diminish.
The NHRC pointed out that it was an independent organisation operated freely from administrative and legislative power, while the Ombudsman Office’s work systems were supported by state officials.
That could lead to problems relating to the administration of the merged organisation, especially the management of personnel and budgets.
The merger would also disrupt investigations now underway in the two agencies.
The NHRC also felt it would rebound on the government as the move ran counter to international calls to strengthen national human rights bodies.
The new name could affect the NHRC’s operations under cooperative frameworks involving other international human rights bodies, as well as its responsibilities and authority set out in the United Nations Paris Principles which lists the requirements for independence and a broad mandate of national human rights institutions.