Thailand: Disappearance of Somchai Neelapaichit raised at UN Human Rights Council

Category: News

Geneva, 11 March 2008 — The 4th anniversary of the disappearance of Somchai Neelapaichit was marked today at the Human Rights Council in Geneva with a statement by Angkhana Neelapaichit urging the Royal Thai Government and the Department of Special Investigation to show their sincerity by thoroughly investigating the disappearance, by asking high ranking officers to clarify their involvement in the abduction and by compiling strong evidence before further pursuing the case in court. While making it clear that a successful conclusion of the investigation of the Somchai case is determined by the sincerity of the government, Angkhana continues to receive strong support from the international community in her struggle for truth and justice.

Angkhana Neelapaichit was speaking at the Human Rights Council today during a public panel on disappearances sponsored by the French Permament Mission to Geneva and the International Coalition Against Disappearances. With delegates of dozens of diplomatic missions present at the event as well as the Ambassador of the Thai mission to Geneva, Angkhana urged the DSI to be courageous and to call on Pol Lt Col Thaksin Shinawatra to give testimony clarifying statements he had made in public regarding Somchai’s disappearance. She explained that “Pol Lt Col Thaksin stated in an interview to all media on 13 January 2006, the day after the verdict of the First Court, that he knows that Somchai has passed away because evidence suggests so. As Thaksin was Prime Minister at that time, this interview must be credible and he must have had enough evidence before saying this.”

At the same time, she requested for newly appointed Acting Director of the Department of Special Investigation to clarify whether he knew of Somchai’s disappearance as testimony during the trial revealed that one police officer who had overheard a group of police officers speaking about their intention to abduct Somchai reported the conversation to Pol Col Tawee Sodsong. The fact that someone who appears to be directly implicated in the disappearance of Somchai Neelapaichit is now the head of the DSI raised grave concerns among the international community.

Both the Deputy of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Representative to the Secretary General for Human Rights Defenders, in separate meetings with Angkhana, expressed their worry about her safety and pledged their full support for her and her family. At the same time, they admired her for her courage in her fearless search for the truth about her husband’s disappearance.

In response to Angkhana’s speech, the Ambassador of the Permament Thai Mission to the UN in Geneva responded that the government is taking this case very seriously. Moreover, he expressed his appreciation of Angkhana’s contribution to the event. Concretely, he promised that more legal actions are forthcoming to ensure that perpetrators be brought to justice.
Finally, he stated that the Thai government does not want disappearances to continue and is doing whatever necessary to proceed with the initiated process to have the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances acceded.

The International Commission of Jurists is very much concerned about the lack of progress in the investigation of Somchai’s disappearances and also about Angkhana’s safety and brought these issues to the attention of the UN Human Rights Council. To quote from the statement, ICJ stated: “We welcome the continued investigation of this case by the Department of Special Investigations. However, a successful prosecution has yet to take place in this case or any other case alleging enforced disappearance in Thailand.“

Exactly on the 4th anniversary of Somchai Neelapaichit’s disappearance on the 12th of March, Angkhana will meet the members of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances to bring to the latter’s attention the continuing disappearance of her husband and of many other victims of enforced disappearances in Southern Thailand.

On the fourth anniversary of her husband’s disappearance, Angkhana vows to leave no stone unturned about the disappearance of her husband and of many other victims of enforced disappearances in her country. Grateful of all the support she received from the international community, she finds more strength to indefatigably struggle to attain justice.