Thaksin invited to US briefing

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been invited by a US human rights commission to testify on the human rights and political situation in Thailand next week.

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe wrote to Thaksin on Nov 23, inviting him to testify at a briefing titled "Thailand: Democracy, Governance and Human Rights" in Washington on Dec 16.

The exact location of the briefing has not been revealed and it is still unknown whether Thaksin will appear before the commission.

The commission has also invited an analyst from the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, which has published an analysis on Thai politics in the aftermath of the red shirt protests from March to May, and a representative of the Thai government to testify at the briefing, a source said.

The invitation, signed by US senator Benjamin Cardin, the commission's chairman, was sent to Thaksin's address in Washington DC.

The former prime minister has been in self-imposed exile since just before he was found guilty by the Supreme Court in October 2006 of corruption.

The US commission, also known as the Helsinki Commission, is an independent US government agency charged with monitoring compliance with the Helsinki Accords and advancing security through the promotion of human rights, democracy and military cooperation in 56 countries.

The commission consists of nine members from the US Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one member each from the departments of State, Defence and Commerce.

In the letter, the commission asked Thaksin to give his "perspective on the human rights situation in Thailand, including freedom of the press and freedom of expression, the Thai government's efforts to calm the insurgency in the South, and how the United States and the international community can help improve the human rights situation and ensure a free and fair election process".

As an Asian partner to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, developments in Thailand, particularly the dispersal in May of political protesters in Bangkok, is of particular interest, the commission said.

The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship has filed a case with the International Criminal Court claiming Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is guilty of crimes against humanity during the government action against red shirt demonstrators in April and May.