The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has voiced growing concern over recent violent confrontations between the police and anti-government protesters.
The Commission on Tuesday urged all sides to respect human rights and ensure proper treatment of underage people in the judicial process.
The statement referred to the latest protest by the Redem (Restart Democracy), an offshoot of the Ratsadon movement, at Sanam Luang on March 20-21.
The Commission said it had received reports of offences having been committed and of violent confrontation between the protesters and law enforcement officers.
A total of 50 police officers and demonstrators were injured over the two days and 20 protesters arrested.
Certain objects were used in place of weapons. Police say some protesters and an unknown group of people stirred up unrest, prompting the authorities to deploy counter-measures by using batons, spraying water mixed with tear gas solution and firing rubber bullets.
The NHRC said children and youths were among those arrested, while the injured also included bystanders and reporters.
The Commission said it had closely followed recent protests and is concerned about the growing tendency for them to be prone to violence.
It said that while protests were a basic right in a democracy, the authorities must respect and protect people who exercise such right within the bound of the law.
At the same time, the protesters must refrain from engaging in illegal acts, resorting to provocation or helping someone else break the law, which would justify law enforcement against them that would in turn limit their usual right to protest.
The Commission urged the authorities to observe United Nations Human guidance on the use of less lethal weapons in law enforcement. The guidance advocates careful use of less lethal weapons to stop immediate and apparent danger to people or the authorities themselves.
It also recommended that the authorities review their use of rubber bullets, which reportedly injured a reporter during the weekend clash. The rubber bullets should not be fired indiscriminately. it stressed
The Commission added that the state should provide fair and adequate compensation to anyone harmed by the clashes.
Any arrest of children and youth offenders must be made with the full respect for their basic rights and welfare, it concluded.