CROSS CULTURAL FOUNDATION (CrCf) / HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS’
ASSOCIATION (HRLA)
Bangkok, Thailand
Project Director: Subban Jama
I.
THE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
ILP began this fellowship in 2012 and continues to enjoy a successful and productive partnership
with the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF). CrCF was founded in 2002 and its focal area is the
attainment of justice and the protection, promotion and monitoring of human rights in Thailand.
Throughout its various programs and initiatives, the organization places particular emphasis on
marginalized peoples such as ethnic minority groups, stateless people, migrant workers and
victims of conflict. In 2013, the Human Rights Lawyers’ Association (HRLA) was established as an
offshoot department of CrCF. In addition to sharing an office, this sub-organization shares CrCF’s
mandate and projects.
The partner organization’s strategic aims include:
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Litigation and legal aid: through which it monitors the justice process and its accessibility
for marginalized people; provides direct legal aid to victims of human rights violations
with strategic litigation; files strategic cases related to torture, disappearance, arbitrary
detention, land issues, community rights, labour rights, right to assembly, right to life and
other human rights violations by the state under special laws.
Capacity building: to inform and educate communities of the target population on their
rights and empower them to act upon and defend human rights standards; to create
networks of human rights defenders and lawyers and encourage debate among human
rights practitioners.
Research and advocacy: to raise awareness about cultural, economic and political issues
and promote the rule of law and human rights; to raise public and political awareness
through anti-torture campaigns; to conduct research and organize public seminars on the
implementation of special security laws.
CrCF’s Past Initiatives
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Hill Tribe Education – this project focused on informing and educating a target hill tribe
population (approximately 60, 000) of their land rights.
Post-Tsunami mission – education of migrants; working on their various rights in the
wake of the tsunami
Anti-Torture Campaigns – creating awareness among the general public, within state
agencies and the security forces to address practices of torture in the border regions. The
campaign served an important watchdog function to ensure a limitation to the impunity
and freedom of security forces
Working in tandem with several interest groups to promote equality of rights, to research
racial discrimination and endorse other advocacy activities
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CROSS CULTURAL FOUNDATION (CrCf) / HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS’
ASSOCIATION (HRLA)
Bangkok, Thailand
Project Director: Subban Jama
The 2014 Initiative
This is a research-intensive fellowship focusing on citizens of Southern Thailand. Fellows have
been working on the Access to Justice Program since 2012, and the 2014 fellows will continue this
work. The program was developed in response to the violent political conflict in Thailand’s
southern border provinces. It provides basic assistance to people with complaints or questions
related to death, reports of missing persons, injuries or arrests due to the violent conflict. It also
strives to addresses torture prevention, detention monitoring and aims to provide legal
assistance for human rights violations. Despite the urgency of current unrest, CrCF hopes to
develop lasting peace through capacity-building legal reform. Fellows will assist with these
various goals largely through conducting research.
Much of the work fellows will be engaged with will be in furtherance of the goal of access to
justice for civilians in the Deep South provinces of Thailand, which have been marked, by military
unrest and civil war. Fellows will be working on shadow reports on these human rights violations
and civilian complaints, which would be submitted to various organizations including the United
Nations. Another assignment in the Access to Justice Program is a documentation project in which
fellows will be tasked with streamlining a system whereby the complaints of human rights
defenders could be standardized and digitized for greater efficiency.
While the interns will be assigned to two different organizations—that is the Cross Cultural
Foundation and the Human Rights Lawyers Association—they will be working on largely similar
projects and research. Both fellows will also engage in comparative analyses of Thai law,
Canadian law and international law.
Additional duties that fellows will be involved in:
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Monitoring human rights violations and initiating campaigns to address such violations
Networking through collaboration between academics, NGOs, lawyers, activists and other
stakeholders.
Advocate on behalf of human rights as representatives of the organization
Assisting in the publications, workshops, training and education related to human rights
violations
Assistance with the day-to-day duties of the CrCF and their initiatives
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CROSS CULTURAL FOUNDATION (CrCf) / HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS’
ASSOCIATION (HRLA)
Bangkok, Thailand
Project Director: Subban Jama
Logistics
No. of ILP Fellows requested: 2 (1 assigned to each organization)
Length of Project: 10-12 weeks (May-August 2014)
Estimated Total of Expenses:
$5200
Bangkok, Thailand
Item
Cost
Transportation
Visa
Medical
Food
Accommodation
Travels/Entertainment
$1825
$40
$240
$750
$1350
$1000
Total
$5205
II.
RELATIONSHIP TO ILP’S MISSION AND VALUES
This fellowship falls in line with a number of ILP’s values including the promotion of access to
justice for marginalized persons, cross-cultural understandings and knowledge exchange,
accountability, and transparency with regards to the organization’s emphasis on citizen
empowerment and holding the government and military accountable to its citizenry. Furthermore,
it serves a central ILP tenet- that is the provision of research opportunities that are mutually
beneficial to partner organizations and to law students so that they can become meaningfully
engaged in obtaining a truly global legal education.
III.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Safety and Health Concerns
The current DFAIT advisory for Thailand advises exercising a high degree of caution when
travelling. The most significant risk at present is the waves of violent protests and
demonstrations, along with other examples of political unrest, in the southern border provinces.
Political demonstrations frequently occur and are staged by both pro- and anti-government
organizations. Though rare, some of these demonstrations have led to violence. In the past, fellows
have ventured into the South for work purposes, but have not encountered any immediate danger.
As with everywhere, fellows should exercise caution and remain cognizant of their surroundings.
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CROSS CULTURAL FOUNDATION (CrCf) / HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS’
ASSOCIATION (HRLA)
Bangkok, Thailand
Project Director: Subban Jama
Thailand has experienced acts of alleged terrorism in the past. In February of 2012, Bangkok saw
three explosions that injured a reported five people. Thai police believe the explosions were part
of a botched terror attack. Calls for civil disobedience and nationwide strikes over a recently
proposed amnesty bill have incited nationwide unrest and the exacerbation of political tension,
which may pose a danger if fellows are not vigilant about monitoring risks in their surroundings.
Less pressing is the risk of petty crime like pickpocketing and snatching, which can be avoided by
diligent watching of belongings, particularly in tourist areas, crowded markets and bus or train
stations. Contracting malaria or Dengue Fever is also a risk in the area and fellows should consider
taking anti-malarial medication. Fellows should also consult a travel doctor regarding any other
vaccinations they may require. Flooding is a common occurrence too.
Risk Mitigation
 The Project Director and the organization will be in communication prior to the fellows’
arrival to ensure that any concerns regarding safety are addressed prior to arrival
 Fellows should also travel together whenever possible. It would be preferable that
accommodations be as close as possible to the office to minimize travel time.
IV.
POINTS OF CONTACT
ILP
The Project Director will be your first point of contact and will regularly be in communication
with the fellows before their placement, as well as throughout the summer. Project Directors
are there to address any concerns that fellows or the organization may have.
Partner Organization Staff
CrCF currently has 8 paid staff members and 7 regular volunteers. Fellows will be working
under the supervision of Ms. Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, the Program Director and
Coordinator of the Access to Justice Program. At the Human Rights Lawyers’ Association
(HRLA), fellows will be working under the supervision of Ms. Hathaikant (Boum) Ranumas,
Director of the organization.
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