Wife seeks NHRC help to find activist

The wife of a land rights activist who went missing in a forest in Chaiyaphum’s Khon San district last month has sought help from a human rights agency to search for her husband.

Suphap Khamlae, along with her neighbours in Kok Yao community in Chaiyaphum province, submitted a letter to Angkhana Neelapaijit, a member of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC) yesterday, asking them to locate her missing husband, Den.

Mr Den, 66, a campaigner for land rights for the poor in Chaiyaphum, disappeared on April 16. He was last seen walking with his two dogs near a forest in Khon San district.

The activist went to the forest to look for bamboo shoots to sell at a local market.

Ms Suphap believes Mr Den is a victim of a forced disappearance as he has never had any conflicts with their neighbours. She is demanding the NHRC put pressure on authorities to conduct a search for her husband after local officials failed to do so.

Speaking after receiving the letter yesterday, Ms Angkhana — whose husband, Somchai, has become one of the most high-profile forced disappearance cases in the country — said Mr Den is apparently a victim of a similar crime, saying there are no grounds for believing the activist wanted to leave his home.

Mr Den’s disappearance came shortly after forestry and military officials circulated copies of a court writ among Kok Yao community residents.

The writ, dated March 10, ordered Kok Yao residents to vacate their homes within eight days because the properties encroached on the Phu Sum Puk Nam Sanctuary in Chaiyaphum.

Ms Angkhana said the NHRC will call on local authorities including police and forestry officials in Khon San district to explain how and where they conducted their searches for the missing man.

Later yesterday, Ms Suphap filed a complaint about her husband’s disappearance with Crime Suppression Division police.

She will also seek help from the Central Institute of Forensic Science to collect burnt bones found in a mound opposite the Pa Nong Rai Kai Forest Protection Department, near the Phom River.

Some have asked if they are victims of enforced disappearances, perhaps engineered by police.