According to ASTV-Manager, National Human Rights Commissioner Paiboon Varahapaitoon says that putting the photos of individuals on flip-flops for sale was not proper, because Thai society places importance on hierarchy and decency, as well as human dignity which is guaranteed in the constitution. Such an act cannot be allowed, no matter whether the individuals in the photos are public figures or ordinary people, as it violates the rights of others.
He said that those who produced the flip-flops should consider other people’s rights, because if their photos were put on flip-flops by others, they would also be upset. The case of a vendor arrested by police in Ayutthaya has to proceed according to the law.
Paiboon was Secretary-General of the Office of the Constitutional Court and a drafter of the 2007 charter, before becoming a Commissioner.