Killed activist's family 'fearful'
Jorn Naowa-ophas, a local politician and older brother of Chachoengsao's slain activist Prajob Naowa-ophas, yesterday applied to join the Rights and Liberties Protection Department (RLPD) programme which is giving Prajob's family Bt100,000 in compensatio
Prajob, a village head who led the anti-illegal waste movement, was shot dead on February 25. Investigation is ongoing.
Jorn said the situation wasn’t good. Villagers who campaigned against illegal waste disposal in Phanom Sarakham district had been threatened and intimidated and they all lived in fear.
Jorn, accompanied Prajob’s wife Arunrat and eldest son Watcharapong, met with RLPD chief Narat Sawettanan to collect the compensation under the Damages for Injured Persons and Compensation and Expense for the Accused in Criminal Case Act 2001.
Jorn and Arunrat also sought scholarships for Prajob’s second child who studied in Mathayom 1 and the youngest who is only a year-old. Watcharapong has had to quit college to work and support the family.
Narat said the agency had set a budget of Bt200 million-Bt250 million per year to compensate victims in criminal cases. He said there had been up to 40,000 criminal cases in the past six years but only 18 per cent of the victims filed for assistance and only 10 per cent had received compensation.
Therefore the agency had established the Sawettanan Foundation to provide compensation to victims right away.