Statement for the International Day of the Disappearance
The 30 August is the International Day of the Disappearance. It is the day that people around the world gather to recognize disappeared persons from human rights violation, from war or from the supression of so called ‘terrorism’ that taking place in many countries which causes death of a huge amount of people.
Enforced disappearance is one of the worse crimes against humanity. This violation has happened for a long time and brough great effect to the victim, family, community and society as well as the whole rule of law and judicial system. Whereas the disappearance has been an issue for Thai society for a while, the judicial system seems not to make enough an attempt to end impunity. Besides, the Thai law is not able to give an answer to the case of disappearance (no law to address this special crime). How the Thai law responsible and compensate to the family of the disappeared person? The families of disappearance have to face all obstacles along the line in order to find justice such as not reaching to the information, the evidence is being destrouey and the witness is being threnten. These obstacles cause the mistrust of the families towards the complaint process and the fight along the judicial system to find out justice for this violation.
In Thailand the only disapperance case that has brought furthest to the judicial system is the case of Mr Somchai Neelapaichit, let alone the disapperance from the October 14, 1973, the October 19, 1976, The Bloody May 1992, the unrest in the southern border provinces, the war on drugs that applied in the North and Northeastern parts and to marginallised people, ect. The First Court of Thailand made judement that the police officer was behind the disappearance of Mr Somchai Neelapaichit. However, this case was delayed and interferred all along the process from the stage of the investigation of the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NCC) to the stage of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
As of the International Day of the Disappearance, the Working Group on Justice for Peace (WGJP) would like to request the Thai government to express a comprehensive action in order to against the enforced disappearance. The government must show its sincerity to find out the disappeared persons and pay attention to the investigation of the anonymous bodies that found all over the country as well as persecuting the prepatrators and ending the culture of impunity. All of these, WGJP recommend the first action of the government is to ratify the International Covention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disapparance in order to protect a person from disappearance, to build trust in the judicial system and to establish actual rule of law. We belive that the disappearance of a person is as serious as the disappearance of the justice system.
