Rights groups slam lack of justice in ‘enforced disappearance’ cases

This week marked two sad anniversaries – the disappearance of land rights activists Billy and Den Khamlae. Investigation into their disappearance has hardly made any progress and no one has been punished for what are widely believed to be cases of enforced disappearance.
Billy went missing four years ago after being arrested by Kaeng Krachan National Park officials on Tuesday, while Den, a prominent land rights activist from Chaiyaphum province, has been missing for two years.
UN Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia, Amnesty International, and the International Commission for Jurists (ICJ) released statements this week calling Thai authorities to progressively work on Billy’s enforced disappearance case. All three international human rights organisations highlighted the lack of concrete developments in the investigation into this case four years after Billy went missing.
The three organisations also called for the establishment of legislative measures such as enactment of Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act and ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to remedy the victims.
The UN Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia raised concerns over the lack of progress in the investigation into Billy’s enforced disappearance case. Billy’s wife Pinnapa Prueksaphan had submitted her petition to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in 2015, but the DSI took up to two years to dismiss her petition, while the investigation against the concerned park official by the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission was also long overdue.
“The disappearance of Billy remains an emblematic case in Thailand as it highlights the myriad challenges faced by victims of enforced disappearances, notably the lack of transparency in the investigative process”, said Cynthia Veliko, Regional Representative of the UN Human Rights Office. 
The ICJ also said in its statement that to date no progress had been made to establish the fate of Billy and the DSI has declined to take up the matter. The agency urged the DSI to assume its responsibility and effectively investigate the case.
According to the ICJ, Pinnapa was pursuing her efforts to have the DSI investigate her husband’s case. She sent a letter to the DSI director-general earlier this month seeking an answer on why the DSI had not accepted Billy’s case.
However, the DSI released a statement defending itself against the accusations of inaction by international human rights agencies. The DSI said it had not rejected the petition to investigate Billy’s case, but it was working on the procedure to accept this case.
Meanwhile, the Northeastern Region Land Rights Reform Network said that investigation officers had finally concluded that Den had died from unknown circumstances after he went missing in the forest two years ago.
The network also said that there was no investigation to establish the cause of Den’s death or finding those who were responsible for his death, while Den’s wife, Suphap Khamlae, has to live in hardship and fight several lawsuits to ensure her land rights.