The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has accused the police force of discrimination for its decision to appoint only men to fill 250 vacancies caused by resignations of women interrogators.
Rights commissioner Angkana Neelapaijit said on Monday the decision ran counter to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to which Thailand is a party.
Other member countries have urged Thailand to open more positions in government service to women, and the country should heed the call, she said.
Her criticism was in response to the decision by the Royal Thai Police Office (RTPO) that 250 vacant positions as interrogators would be filled exclusively by male officers.
Deputy police spokesman Pol Lt Col Pongpol Iemvichan said theforce had a problem with women officers resigning to take care of their families, and for other personal reasons.
Police interrogators had become overworked after their female colleagues resigned, the deputy spokesman said. The RTPO would give women more opportunities in the future, after the current situation was resolved.
However, a Facebook account claiming to represent women police interrogators argued that the resignation rate of female officers was lower than that of men.
The RTPO should look at the real cause of the problems that led to the resignation of officers in charge of interrogation.
"The RTPO has never supported them with equipment. It has only ordered and punished," it said on Sunday. "There is no career path. Interrogators, men and women, decide to leave if there are better job opportunities elsewhere."
The Thai police force was in violation of the international convention, which aimed at ending discrimination in the workplace, it said.
The RTPO had planned to fill 400 vacancies caused by the resignation of women interrogators at police stations across the country, but it came up short, the social media site said.
