On 18 July 2018, five Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from the Sub-committee on Human Rights (DROI), led by MEP Andrey Kovatchev from Bulgaria, together with H.E. Mr. Pirkka Tapiola, Ambassador of the European Union to the Kingdom of Thailand, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, during their official visit to Thailand during 16 - 18 July 2018. 

          During the meeting, both sides discussed and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, including Thai - European Union relations, the resumption of the Thai - European Union negotiation on a Free Trade Agreement, Thailand’s political developments, the management of migrant workers in Thailand and Thailand’s priorities during its assumption as ASEAN Chair in 2019. The Deputy Permanent Secretary expressed Thailand’s readiness to work with the European Union, both at bilateral and multilateral levels, to protect and promote human rights, especially under the framework of the Human Rights Council, where Thailand attaches particular importance to technical cooperation and capacity building as a means to strengthen the protection of human rights. 

          The Deputy Permanent Secretary highlighted that the Royal Thai Government has declared human rights as a national agenda and various measures are being introduced to achieve concrete results. A particular focus was on business and human rights as it was a crucial part in the promotion of good governance for the country’s economic sustainability. Recommendations from the United Nations Working Group on the Issues of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises have therefore been incorporated into the drafting of Thailand’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. 

          The two sides also discussed the developments in the Thai labour sector. The Deputy Permanent Secretary addressed the important contribution of migrant workers to the Thai economy and the necessity to create a working environment that is conducive for them. These include the registration of foreign workers for better provision of legal protection and social services and the cooperation between Thailand and the World Health Organization (WHO) on protecting the health of migrants. In addition, Thailand is in the process of drafting and amending several domestic laws, to enable the ratification of the core ILO conventions. This process requires involvement of all stakeholders and solution to close the implementation gap in order to fulfill Thailand’s commitments. 

          Both sides also exchanged views on Thailand’s roles in the region. The Deputy Permanent Secretary informed the Delegation that, during Thailand’s chairmanship of the Ayeyawady - Chao Phraya - Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) in 2018, and the upcoming chairmanships of ASEAN in 2019 and of APEC in 2022, Thailand would focus on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which forms an integral part of the promotion of human rights. In this case, sustainability would mean a truly people-centered community, coupled with the promotion of partnerships with Dialogue Partners, including the European Union, to help support ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture. The Delegation wished to cooperate closely with Thailand during its ASEAN Chairmanship next year, especially, on economic cooperation which would, eventually lead to the negotiation of a free trade agreement between ASEAN and the EU.

          The visit was the first DROI visit to Thailand. During their visit, the MEPs also met with the President of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) of Thailand, the representatives of the NLA Committee on Commerce, Industry, and Labour and the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Minister of Labour, and the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice. They also visited the Port In-Port Out (PIPO) Center in Samut Sakhon Province to learn about the situation of fishing workers on the ground.

          The Delegation appreciated the frank and constructive discussions with the Thai authorities and welcomed the updates on Thailand’s development in various areas. They expressed readiness to cooperate with Thailand towards further developments and to support Thailand as it moves ahead to return to democracy and for its upcoming ASEAN chairmanship in 2019.