Outcry over missing activist

A GROUP of Thai protesters have called for government action over the case of a Thai activist who was abducted in Phnom Penh last week.

“Our first demand is for the Cambodian government to investigate this case and arrest the perpetrators,” activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk told reporters in front of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok yesterday.

Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a Thai pro-democracy activist, was abducted at around 6pm last Thursday by a group of armed men who took him away in a black car, rights groups said, citing witnesses and security cameras.

“If he is still alive, please bring him back. If he is dead, please bring his body back to Thailand for his family to arrange religious ceremonies,” said Somyot, who was among around 30 protesters who gathered yesterday.

The group’s demands were submitted to a representative from the Cambodian embassy.

Southeast Asian countries have been repeatedly accused of apprehending exiled activists, sending them back home under no legal framework, or even killing them in what has become known as “enforced disappearances”.

Wanchalerm is affiliated with Thailand’s pro-democracy “red shirt” movement which opposes the country’s traditional establishment and military’s involvement in politics.

Thai officials have kept silent on the case. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the case was an issue for Cambodian authorities.