US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK6875

UNCLAS BANGKOK 006875 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR DRL ASSISTANT SECRETARY LOWENKRON FROM AMBASSADOR BOYCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: APER, PHUM, TH 
SUBJECT: 2005 HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 
- EMBASSY BANGKOK NOMINATION 
 
REF: STATE 175014 
 
1.   I nominate Michael D. Sweeney for the 2005 Human Rights 
and Democracy Award.  Mr Sweeney has spearheaded the 
Mission's initiatives on improving the human rights practices 
of the Royal Thai Government (RTG) and the expansion of 
democracy-related capacity-building programs.  He has been a 
tireless and deeply committed promoter of universal human 
rights and through his efforts the Mission's goals have been 
greatly advanced. 
 
2.  Mr. Sweeney researched and drafted the Thailand chapter 
of the 2004 Country Human Rights Report (HRR) at an 
especially sensitive time.  The ongoing violence in 
Thailand's southern border provinces had caused hundreds of 
deaths from separatist attacks and in several notable 
instances, from actions by government security forces. 
International attention and RTG sensitivities made Mr. 
Sweeney,s report particularly significant, especially in 
light of global efforts to address potential terrorist 
threats while ensuring the protection of basic human rights 
and freedoms.  Michael Sweeney,s Thailand Chapter for the 
2004 Human Rights Report was praised as one of the best in 
the region.  His analysis and findings -- balanced, detailed 
and clearly written -- were widely praised by human rights 
observers within Thailand and in the East Asia region. 
 
3.  Michael Sweeney has enthusiastically and actively worked 
to implement democracy-enhancing programs on the ground in 
Thailand.  He very successfully implemented a Department 
grant supporting Thai citizenship for hill tribes.  Working 
closely with USAID, Michael was the prime shaper of a USD 1 
million program to improve freedom of the press in Thailand. 
 
4.  Human right issues and the promotion of democracy are 
important elements in the U.S - Thai relationship -- from the 
situation of civil rights activists in Thailand to the stance 
of the RTG towards the military regime in Burma.  In support 
of our policymakers, Michael Sweeney has been tireless in 
producing well researched and prolific reporting.  He 
produced follow-up reporting on the Thai reactions to the 
2004 Human Rights Report, Human Rights NGOs, assessments of 
trends in Thailand, individual third country asylum seekers 
in Southeast Asia, and RTG positions on United Nations human 
rights initiatives. 
 
5.  It was Mr. Sweeney,s reporting on the aftermath of the 
October, 2004 incident at Tak Bai in southern Thailand -- an 
incident in which over 80 protesters died in the hands of RTG 
security units -- that received particular attention.  This 
event brought into stark relief the conflict between 
government law enforcement elements and the civil population 
they were commissioned to protect.  His description of the 
event from videos taken at the scene riveted the attention of 
Department consumers and removed any doubts over the actions 
of security personnel on that day. 
 
6.  The plight of human rights activists and legal advocates 
was another area where Mr. Sweeney provided exhaustive and 
regular coverage.  He maintained, for example, a reporting 
watch on the status of missing Thai Muslim attorney Somchai 
Neelaphajit -- widely believed to have been abducted by 
police elements, followed the legal fight of media activist 
Suphinya Klangnarong in her fight against a criminal libel 
case brought by a firm related to the Prime Minister and 
reported on the free-speech-related case of a prominent 
government critic, retired Squadron Leader Prasong Soonsiri. 
 
7.   Mr. Sweeney authored several of the most relevant cables 
sent from Bangkok in the past year on other highly 
significant democracy and human rights-related political and 
foreign policy subjects.  For example, one, an analytic 
election piece entitled "Thaksin's Victory -- Credit the Man, 
Innovative Policies, and the Thai Rak Thai Political 
Machine," was one of the best domestic political process 
articles produced by the Embassy on the Thai general 
election.  Mr. Sweeney,s cable on the views of the new 
Foreign Minister toward Thai-Burma relations, "New Face, Same 
Policy," was very highly appreciated by the Washington 
audience. 
 
8.  Michael Sweeney has exemplified the highest standards of 
dedication and skill in support of U.S. human rights and 
democracy promotion policies. 
BOYCE