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About Us: Brief Introduction

 THAI ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (TAHR)

Central Office:
1268 Grant Avenue, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94133
Email:  president@tahr-global.org      Phone:  +1 (323) 306-4406
Website:  http://tahr-global.org

WHAT IS TAHR?

The Thai Alliance for Human Rights (TAHR) was registered with the State of California, United States of America as a non-profit, non-partisan, independent organization on June 28, 2012.  It was founded and has been run by Thais residing in the United States both as U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

MEMBERSHIPS

TAHR Members are classified into three groups.

1. Honorary Members: Experts and activists from around the world are invited to join us to assist by giving advice, sharing their experiences, and participating in TAHR activities.
2. Regular/Domestic Members: Residents with addresses in the United States, both Thais and foreigners, serve as regular members.  They can join official meetings, vote, organize activities approved by the Executive Board and, subsequently, the Board of Directors, and participate in all activities run by the TAHR.
3. Global Members:  Thais and foreign friends from around the world are welcome as our global members.  They can participate in our activities officially organized by the TAHR.  They may organize activities on behalf of the TAHR if written approval is issued by the Board of Directors.

TAHR MISSIONS

1. Promote and support activities that address human rights issues in Thailand and collaborate with other organizations worldwide in similar goals.
2. Plan, organize, and/or assist in progressive activities to develop or instill democracy and respect for the universal human rights in Thailand, its neighboring countries, and around the world.

3. Protest against and prevent all forms of human rights violations in Thailand and around the world with an emphasis on defending the underprivileged and the oppressed and on giving the weak and marginalized voices and assistance they can get from all potential sources.

4. Provide aid and rehabilitation to the victims of human rights violations in all the possible ways.

5. Collaborate withgovernmental and non-governmental organizations from around the world in missions associated with human rights issues in Thailand and elsewhere.

TAHR VALUES & ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Under the progressive leadership of Dr. Snea Thinsan, TAHR’s founding Executive Director, and with shared spirits and dedication by its co-founders and working & steering teams (Mr. Anthony Tahng, Mr. Chupong Theethuan, Ms. Sue Pong, Mr. Kitti Kittiyachavalit, Ms. Vilai Lertsmitivanta, Ms. Para Patra, Mr. Amnuay Kaewchompu, Mr. Noppadon Yoskaew, and Mr. Ned Phoutinan), TAHR has developed the following values and organizational culture:

1. This non-profit organization belongs to no single individual or group, but it exists truly because of and thus for members.  TAHR must aim at serving for public benefits, not personal gains.  Member participation, ownership,
   shared responsibilities, and contributions are the core components of TAHR’s existence and development. Individuals must not seek personal benefits, popularity or fame, and direct or indirect profits from their participation.

2. TAHR projects or activities can be proposed by members, or Executive Board members, Board of Directors, or Board of Advisors. The Executive Board shall refine ideas and officially turn them into a proposal based on TAHR template to be submitted to the Board of Directors. Given the approval by the Board of Directors, the project or proposed activity, then, shall be presented to members and the public for support and participation.

3. TAHR is operated based on its faith in dialogues, consultation, compromise, and consensus.  In cases where strong options exist, the majority votes rule.

4. Every project or activity must always serve one or more of the three dimensions of TAHR missions in connection with human rights issues: Preventive, Rehabilitative, and Constructive.  Donations and support solicited must be purposeful and mission-oriented.

5. TAHR shall not dwell on fame, luxury, solemn farce, or political biases; being non-partisan and independent, it strives for fulfillment or realization of the universal human rights without attachment to any prejudices or selfish agendas.

6. Financial management shall be transparent.  There must be at least three financial officers in charge.  All the resources, including monetary resources, for each project or activity must be reported to members and donors.  A project report at the end of project must state clearly: who contributed and how, the outcomes against the stated goals, lessons learned, and so on in accordance with the TAHR template.

7. Community building must be promoted by allowing as many members as possible to contribute and participate in each project/activity.  A project should not be sponsored solely by a single person or an interest group with political agendas, so much so that the person stands out along with his or her importance, ownership, and fame, thus shadowing the TAHR missions.

8. As a human rights organization, we shall treat one another with respect for the universal human rights of all within or among the working teams, members, and the public both when we work on our missions and in our daily life.  Be what you want the society to be.

9. TAHR was founded to serve, protect, care, and educate.  To reemphasize, TAHR should not be directed toward image building, meaningless competition, or any decorated movements that do not serve TAHR missions.  Taking donations, labor, and any kind of support from the public, we must return the benefits to the public.
10. Working collaboratively, we surely will have multiple perspectives that may clash against one another. We all shall always respect different viewpoints and their owners.

OUR PORTFOLIO & VISION

In our infancy, we are still learning along the way.  So far, we have tried our best to establish the above values and organizational culture while striving to accomplish the necessary missions that we can.  Please visit http://tahr-global.org if you wish to explore our modest records.

New kids on the block, we definitely will benefit much from your experiences and kind advice.  In 2014 and beyond, we would like to make a real impact on the political and cultural development in Thailand with the help of our international friends, while also willingly trying to assist our friends in all capacities possible.  We look forward to meeting and working with you all.

OUR GOALS FOR 2014-2015

In 2014 and 2015, we attempt to focus on the following goals:

1. Pressure Thailand to ratify the Rome Statute with the International Criminal Court and abolish Article 112, as well as returning to civilian rule democratically and peacefully;
2. Profile all the human rights abuses in Thailand through systematic research and publications and pursue as many urgent, serious, and confirmed cases as we can.
3. Campaign against the perpetuated culture of massacres and impunity;
4. Encourage constructive dialogs among Thais in light of political and cultural conflicts and enable the target populations (i.e. youths) in all possible ways to think critically and transform themselves to be advocates of the universal human rights and democracy; and
5. Collaborate with international friends around the world in pursuing human rights agenda beyond Thailand.
6. Set up legal services center in Thailand and the United States.
7. Expand TAHR’s networks internationally and domestically in the U.S.