For over twenty years, the tragic case of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit remains shrouded in mystery, with nine Thai prime ministers failing to find justice for his enforced disappearance. On March 12, 2004, Somchai was abducted in Bangkok, and no trace of him has since emerged.
Evidence suggests a group of police officers were involved, retaliating against Somchai due to his legal work surrounding police abuses in southern Thailand, where tensions run high amid ongoing insurgency.
In a startling admission in January 2006, then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra indicated that the Department of Special Investigation was considering murder charges, and that circumstantial evidence pointed to Somchai’s death with several officers implicated.
However, the case took a disheartening turn in December 2015, when the Supreme Court acquitted five charged officers, denying Somchai’s family the right to seek justice on the grounds that there was no proof of his death.
Despite Thailand’s ratification of the UN International Convention against Enforced Disappearance and the introduction of national laws against torture and enforced disappearance in 2023, the current government led by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra remains silent on Somchai’s case.
This persistent indifference reflects a broader trend, as evidenced by the UN’s record of 77 unresolved cases of enforced disappearance in Thailand. Meanwhile, Angkhana Neelapaijit, Somchai’s wife, revealed that the authorities have pressured numerous families to drop their cases from UN review, seemingly to enhance national standing as Thailand takes part in the UN Human Rights Council.
Somchai Neelapaijit, a human rights lawyer, disappeared in 2004, and subsequent investigations implicated police involvement. Despite indications of his death by a former prime minister, the Supreme Court cleared charged officers, complicating justice efforts. The Thai government shows little commitment to resolving this or other similar cases, as pressures mount against families seeking UN intervention.
The unresolved case of Somchai Neelapaijit highlights a troubling disregard for human rights in Thailand, as political will to address enforced disappearances remains elusive. Despite international obligations and national laws in place, systemic obstacles continue to prevent justice for Somchai and other victims. The stories of these families endure, echoing the urgent need for transparency and accountability from the Thai government.
Original Source: www.hrw.org
