Group 30 Southeast Asia Action




			Minister of Justice Mr. Sompong Amornwiwat Ministry of Justice Chaeng Wattana Road Pak Kred, Nonthaburi 11120 THAILAND Dear Minister: I am deeply concerned for the safety of Angkhana Neelaphaijit, a leading human rights activist and wife of disappeared human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit. While Angkhana Neelaphaijit is currently in a Ministry of Justice witness protection program, the upcoming transfer of her protection from civilian officers to police is very troubling, since police were implicated in her husband's disappearance. Somchai Neelaphaijit, a human rights lawyer investigating torture, disappeared on 12 March 2004. He has not been seen since then, and is presumed dead. I am aware that a legal investigation implicating five police officers in his disappearance is ongoing. Angkhana Neelaphaijit was placed under the government's witness protection program following the beginning of the legal investigation in 2004. The Witness Protection Act stipulates that if a case involves the police, then civilian officers are to be assigned to protection instead. Despite this, the Department of Special Investigations now plans to assign only police officers to protect witnesses. Further, the recently-named new head of DSI, Police Colonel Thawee Sodsong, who allegedly gave the order to use only police officers for witness protection, was the superior officer of the five policemen currently named in connection to Somchai Neelaphaijit's disappearance. Angkhana Neelaphaijit is now concerned that remaining in the witness protection program could place her in greater danger. In early March 2008, Angkhana Neelaphaijit spoke to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva about the continued failure of the Thai authorities to hold her husband's abductors accountable, as well as the urgent problems of torture, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detention in southern Thailand. She has been repeatedly threatened for her work. I am gravely concerned for Angkhana Neelaphaijit's safety and urge you to take immediate and direct action to protect her. Sincerely, Cc: Ambassador Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn Embassy of Thailand 1024 Wisconsin Avenue N.W Washington, D.C. 20007 fax: 202-944-3611 email: info@thaiembdc.org Click here to download a copy in MS Word format.