PRESS RELEASE
AHRC-PL-037-2006

THAILAND: Wife of missing lawyer seeks meeting with UN chief

(Hong Kong, May 25, 2006) The wife of abducted Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit on Wednesday requested the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to meet with her during a three-day visit to Thailand.

Angkhana Neelaphaijit said that she wants a brief meeting with the secretary general to discuss Thailand's human rights situation and submit a letter on behalf of local groups.

She raised "extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture and the situation of human rights defenders over the past five years" and the role of the UN in addressing these as key areas for discussion.

The secretary general is due in Thailand from May 25 to 27, during which time he will present the King with an international award to mark his 60th anniversary on the throne.

"We earnestly hope that Mr Annan will take the time to meet with Angkhana," Basil Fernando, executive director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, said.

"He has three days in Thailand, and he should be able to spend a few minutes of that time with this courageous and outstanding woman, whose struggle for human rights in Thailand, which was begun through her husband's disappearance, has already attracted considerable international attention," Fernando said.

Somchai was abducted by police in March 2004. To date, only one officer has been found guilty of involvement in the case. The lawyer's remains have never been recovered. 

The UN working group on disappearances has since 2005 taken up the abduction with the Thai authorities. Its chairman has expressed deep admiration for Angkhana. In May the European Union took up her case under an international programme for women human rights defenders.

Meanwhile, the AHRC said in an open letter to the secretary general on Tuesday that he has "an historic opportunity" to encourage the government of Thailand to "build a stronger democracy, uphold the rule of law and defend basic human rights".

The Hong Kong-based regional rights group noted that in recent months "people in all parts of Thailand--including His Majesty the King--have stressed the importance of an active judiciary capable of intervening assertively during a national crisis".

The group pointed to the United Nations Development Programme as having considerable expertise and resources which could be used to help strengthen the country's judiciary and related institutions.

"We... look forward to your visit, and your contribution to the vibrant dialogue on democracy and the rule of law that is going on in Thailand at this time," the AHRC said.

"Your encouragement of judicial independence and strengthening of institutions for the rule of law in Thailand will be of enormous value," it said.

"Your observations on the need for speedy justice for the victims of disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture and other gross abuses, including Somchai Neelaphaijit, will have a definite effect for the victims and their families," it added.

The AHRC in March presented its 2nd Asian Human Rights Defender Award to Angkhana on behalf of her husband.

On May 18 she was awarded the 2006 Kwangju Prize for Human Rights in Korea.

Receiving the award in the southern city of Kwangju, Angkhana described herself as "no different from many others in Thailand and in Asia whose lives have been affected by acts of violence".
 
"Human rights violations in our region are very widespread... The violators are not afraid of law enforcement. The victims are forced to live in fear. Their screams have never been heard by authorities," Angkhana told an international audience.

She called on the governments of Asia to "give a strong commitment to end all forms of torture and enforced disappearance" and ratify international laws to prevent these crimes. 

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About AHRC The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.