Ombudsman Kräuter welcomes Thai delegation in Vienna

As a part of a study visit on “Administrative Justice for Executives”, a delegation from Thailand visited Austria and Hungary in March 2015. The delegation was chaired by Judge Manoon Punyakariyakorn from the Supreme Administrative Court Thailand and included representatives from the judicial, administrative and private sector. 

Ombudsman Kräuter informed the guests from Thailand about the organizational structure of the Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB), its legal foundations, responsibilities, mandate and investigative proceedings. He further described the AOB’s international activities, with special reference to the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) and the fact that the IOI’s headquarters are located at the premised of the AOB in Austria. 

The delegation showed high interest in the AOB’s activities as National Preventive Mechanism (NPM); in particular in the cooperation with the AOB’s commissions, the process of the commissions’ regular visits places of detention and the subsequent investigative proceedings carried out by the AOB. 

Another focus of the meeting was on the AOB’s public relations work and on how the AOB is informing citizens and raising awareness among the general public about its work. Ombudsman Kräuter informed the guests about the AOB’s unique possibility of informing a broader public via a weekly TV-Show called “Bürgeranwalt, which was of particular interest to the participants.