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On June 10, Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission boldly entered uncharted territory, charging Government officials of Enforced disappearance Nine Thai activists living in exile in neighboring countries.
Under the military rule of General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who came to power in a May 2014 coup, Thai authorities Active pursuit The Thai government at the time repeatedly asked neighboring governments to hand over these exiles, who were under constant surveillance and intimidation by agents of the Thai authorities.
Itthipol Sukpaen and Wuthipong Kachathamakul were abducted in Laos in June 2016 and July 2017, respectively. In December 2018, three more exiles – Surachai Danwattananusorn, Kraidej Luelert and Chatchan Buphawan – disappeared in Laos. Kraidej and Chatchan’s mutilated bodies were later found floating in the Mekong River. In May 2019, Chucheep Chivasut, Siam Theerawut and Kritsana Thapthai were forcibly disappeared after being arrested by Vietnamese authorities. In June 2020, Wanchalearm Satsaksit was kidnapped in broad daylight in Cambodia.
None of these cases have been successfully resolved, so the victims’ families have petitioned the National Human Rights Commission, alleging that Thai authorities have failed to properly investigate their disappearances.
This is the first time the commission has investigated so-called transnational repression, which refers to efforts by governments to suppress or prevent dissent by violating the human rights of their nationals or expatriates outside their territorial jurisdiction.
A recent Human Rights Watch report‘We thought we were safe’: Thailand’s crackdown on refugees and repatriation” documents a transnational pattern of repression in which Thai authorities help neighboring governments take illegal actions against refugees and dissidents seeking asylum in Thailand. In exchange, Thai authorities can use critics of the Thai government living in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia as part of a “barter market” for refugees and dissidents.
The National Human Rights Commission urges the Thai government to uphold its obligations under international human rights treaties and Thailand’s Law on the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture and Enforced Disappearance, which comes into force in February 2023. Prime Minister Sreeta Tawisin should heed this call and ensure that his government fully and impartially prosecutes those who ordered and carried out these heinous crimes, regardless of their rank and status.
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