Home » Program on Book Launch “Scars on the Moon”: Child rights & Juvenile Justice

Program on Book Launch “Scars on the Moon”: Child rights & Juvenile Justice

The program will be conducted in Thai. The same program will be conducted at Ramkamhaeng University , Bangkok on 9 Feb 2012
Perface of the Book is below.

Book Launch “The scars on the moon” Exhibition and Discussion on “Child rights & Juvenile Justice while enforcing Security Laws in the Deep South” Wednesday 25 January 2012, the lawn in front of Room 500, the Prince of Songkhla University, Pattani Campus

– 13.00 -13.30 Video presentation including interviews of affected children and individuals and those working in civil society to advocate children’s and youth’s rights

– 13.30 -15.30 Launch of “The scars on the Moon” and panel discussion on“

“Child rights and Juvenile Justice while enforcing Security Laws and recommendations”

– Ms. Preeda Thongchumnum, attorney, Cross-Cultural Foundation (CrCF) and Ms. Kaosar Alimama, paralegal, Foundation of Muslim Attorney Centre (MAC), in behalf of the research team
– Judge Nattakorn Yokchuthanachai, the Pattani Juvenile and Family Court and special lecturer at Faculty of Political Science, Prince of Songkhla University, Pattani Campus
– Mr. Pridi-anand Tiyanon, Director of the Pattani Juvenile Observation and Protection Center
– Representative from Foundation for Child Development, Bangkok
– Representative from students of the Faculty of Political Science, Prince of Songkhla University, Pattani Campus

MC: Mr. Yingcheep Achanond, Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA)

Note: The Exhibition “The Rights of Children and Youth in Justice Process and the Enforcement of Security Laws” and introduction shall be open to public view from 9.00 am on 25 January 2012 through to 27 January 2012.

Preface of “Scars on the Moon”
“…the child, by reason of his/her physical and mental immaturity,
Needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection,
Before as well as after birth”

Preamble, 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child

“Scars on the Moon” is a collection of stories about children being subject to arrest and detention invoking the Martial Law Act B.E.2457 (1914) and the Emergency Decree on Government Administration in States of Emergency B.E. 2548 (2005), the two special laws enforced in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces since 2004. The arrest and detention stems from the “Operation for Protection of the South -ยุทธการพิทักษ์แดนใต้” policy which authorizes officials to cordon off, search, and make arrest in community, households and against any individuals being suspected of being involved with abetting the unrest. Children are not an exception. They were woken up at dawn, while the military officials carried out their house search and several of them had been arrested and held in custody at military barracks for days, weeks or even months. In many instances, parents were not informed of the whereabouts of their children and denied the right to visit them and in some cases, they were subject to intimidation and physical abuse.

The information is attested to by testimonies of children whose interviews are part of a research project on “Juvenile Justice: The case studies of children and youth being brought into justice process relating to security situation in the Southern Border Provinces”. It illustrates the impacts of enforcing special laws against children. It is an attempt to question and explore appropriate standard procedure which should be applied to children in the justice process in the midst of violence and insurgencies in the Southern Border Provinces. Inspired by the brave testimonies, Ms. Rapeepan Sayantrakul has rewritten the cases into a series of feature stories.

The feature stories are based on data from the research project and case studies collected jointly by the Foundation of Muslim Attorney Centre (MAC) and the Cross-Cultural Foundation (CrCF) during the course of their over five year work to provide legal services to people in the Southern Border Provinces. The research would not have been made possible without concerted effort and help from local activists, paralegals, and attorneys in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat who have kindly accompanied the researchers during the field work to meet with the aggrieved families and the children.

The research team and author hope that Scars on the Moon shall make voices of the affected children and families heard in wider public and contribute to making necessary changes towards more respect of childhood and the rights of the child in the course of justice process in the Southern Border Provinces and that the process be developed on par with standard procedure for children and youth elsewhere in the country.

On the day the Emergency Decree and Martial Law are still enforced in the Southern Border Provinces

11 December 2011
Research Team