The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly refuted "Tom Andrews" for unfairly criticizing Thailand with unfounded claims and lacking neutrality, preparing to file a complaint with the HRC Chair and UN High Commissioner.
On 7 August 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified the case of Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia, who expressed opinions on social media criticizing Thailand’s stance after completing an official visit to Cambodia. Ms. Jaitai Upakarnitiket, Director-General of the Information Department and spokesperson for the Ministry, stated that Thailand’s previous statements and clarifications were based on principles and facts because the Special Rapporteur unfairly implicated Thailand. This was not only an overreach of his mandate but also presented distorted, one-sided information and ignored the code of conduct of the UN Human Rights Council’s special mechanisms, despite Thailand’s cooperation as an HRC member.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that Thailand submitted a letter clarifying human rights issues in the Thai-Cambodian context to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights office in Geneva on 24 June 2026. This letter was officially published on the UN website, but the Special Rapporteur neglected to include this information in his End of Mission Statement and did not formally coordinate or consult with Thailand.
Regarding the Special Rapporteur’s claim of having sent Thailand a draft of the relevant report sections in advance, the Ministry clarified that only partial draft text was sent by email, which is irregular and not in accordance with proper procedures. When Thailand sought clarification, no responses or coordination were received from the Special Rapporteur.
Ms. Jaitai emphasized that such conduct reflects unprofessionalism, lack of neutrality, disrespect toward Thailand, and a clear risk of political manipulation. Going forward, Thailand plans to submit an official letter to the HRC Chair and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to formally express concerns and will raise the Special Rapporteur’s conduct for discussion at the HRC session, as previously indicated by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.