THAILAND: Threat of enforced disappearance against Ms. Waewrin Buangern and Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group faces intimidation by authorities

Dear Friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to share an updated appeal from Protection International about the high-risk situation of Ms. Waewrin Buangern (Jo), coordinator of the Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group and a community-based Woman Human Rights Defender, who is under constant and surveillance by military authorities. Military personnel have threatened her with enforced disappearance.

UPDATED INFORMATION:

On the morning of 17 August 2015, 80 members of the Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group, Lampang Province, travelled 80 km from Ban Haeng Sub-district, Ngao District, to Lampang City. At the City Hall, the Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group was received by the Damrongtham Centre Chief, Army Colonel Amnat Songsak, who at first refused to receive the villagers’ petition letters. Approximately 25 security force personnel, including Provincial Army soldiers, police officers in civilian clothes, and police officers from Ngao District, accompanied Col. Amnat. After long negotiations with Col. Amnat, the villagers successfully submitted their letters to the Damrongtham Centre, which is a Ministry of Interior office set up by the military junta to deal with people’s complaints and concerns. The villagers were successful in submitting their petition letters to a representative of the Department for Public Works and Town and Country Planning.

However, the Department for Forestry Resource Management refused to accept the villagers’ petitions, even following negotiations with the Department. As a result of a long afternoon of negotiations with different relevant authorities, the villagers only made their way back to Ban Haeng Village at dusk on 17 August 2015. It cannot be confirmed whether the authorities were still in the village at this time or not. Furthermore, there were no further threats to sue the villagers under Public Assembly Act or Article 112 when they met with other provincial authorities and security forces in Lampang City Hall.

Ms. Waewrin Buangern (Jo) coordinator of the Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group and community-based Woman HRD, who is under constant surveillance by military authorities, is facing a high-risk situation. As coordinator of the Conservation Group, Ms. Waewrin is under close monitoring by authorities and she is contacted on a regular basis by authorities for information on her whereabouts or on the Conservation Group’s plans. The threat of enforced disappearance against Ms. Waewrin was made during an ‘attitude adjustment session’, on 11th November 2014, when she was accompanied by another 10 villagers to the attitude adjustment session at Patoupah Special Military Training Facility. The attitude adjustment session was chaired by Deputy-Chief of Provincial Military Division, Colonel Chainarong Kaewkla, and there were heated exchanges between villagers and authorities during the course of the session. Ms. Waewrin has said that at one point in the session, she was told, “You know we can make anyone disappear.” During the same session, Ms. Waewrin was also the target of a gender-specific attack when she was told, “You will never be able to find a husband.”

Ms. Waewrin has been closely monitored ever since the Conservation Group joined the 1st Walk for Land Reform in Thailand on 9 November 2014 in Chiang Mai. Following such high-level intimidation and confrontation, Ms. Weawrin has been under surveillance and frequently contacted by local authorities. Everyday 2 plainclothes soldiers, on motorbike, patrol the Ban Haeng Village at around 7 p.m. Every day, there are different soldiers who patrol the village and they are always low-ranking soldiers. There is information that the soldiers are monitoring the movement of villagers, but also monitoring Ms. Waewrin specifically. She has never received any military personnel in her home and always requests that they meet her in the village Assembly Hall.

The clear and high-level threats from authorities that have been voiced against Ms. Weawrin are of grave concern, especially as authorities have adopted a clear oppositional stance against the activities of the Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group. One such threat of violence has arrived against Ms. Weawrin from a high-ranking and now promoted military officer. It indicates a clear and consistent risk for Ms. Waewrin as authorities continue to monitor her whereabouts and know how to gain access to her. District-level authorities are attempting to bar the community-based HRDs from petitioning relevant state agencies for information and for action on the situation of the Ban Haeng community. This is a clear indication that local authorities are falling short of acting as duty-bearers in protecting and creating an enabling environment for HRDs to exercise their rights as guaranteed by international human rights law and as stated in the Declaration on HRDs.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The following is a timeline of significant events:

Post 2010: The Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group was set up by Ban Haeng villagers opposing the mining project granted to Kiew Lueng Company in 2010, in an area near the village. The Conservation Group is composed of people living and farming the area of Ban Haeng Sub-district, Ngao District, Lampang. The group has been formed to conserve the forests, natural resources, the environment, community, and traditional culture and values.

October 2014: Pamphlets were distributed in the Lampang area, containing fake receipts from the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT), which stated that the NHRCT paid THB 12,000 to Ms Waewrin for coordination with Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group and THB 7,000 to Ms. Waewrin for a visit to Maemoh District. The NHRCT confirmed these were fake documents and filed a police report on 29 October 2014.

9 November 2014: Ms. Waewrin went to join the 1st Walk for Land Reform in Thailand organised by the P-Move at the Soon Dok Temple in Chiang Mai. On returning from Chiang Mai back to Lampang Province, the villagers were followed by plainclothes police officers, traveling in at least one police car. However, when the villagers entered Hang Chat District another car replaced this car.

10 November 2014: Army First Lieutenant Yeam Rompoh visited Ms. Waewrin at her home. However Ms. Waewrin organised to meet with the Army official at the Village Assembly Hall. The Army official accused Ms. Waewrin and the Conservation Group of holding a meeting on November 5 to agitate villagers against the coup d’état. The villagers explained that their November 5 meeting was with their lawyers, who are taking a case at the Administrative Court in Chiang Mai. At 5:30 p.m. on the same day, November 10, Ms. Waewarin was contacted by the Provincial Army asking her to come provide information to the Chief of Provincial Military Division, who needed information on the lignite-mining project, as he had recently arrived in the province. The military said that the Chief of the Provincial Military Division wants to meet the Group on 11 November, 9 a.m. First Lieutenant Yeam Rompoh said that the Chief of Provincial Military Division wants the Village Headmen of Moo 1, Village Headman Moo 7, and the Chief of the Ban Haeng Administrative Council, Mr. Prapan Thamayot, and the member of the Ban Haeng Administrative Council, Ms. Waewarin, to attend the meeting with the military on the 11 November 2014.

On November 11, the Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group members went to meet with the Chief of Provincial Military Division at the Patoupah Special Military Training Facility. However, at the Military Training Facility, they didn’t meet with the Chief of Provincial Military Division, but instead met with the Deputy-Chief of Provincial Military Division, Colonel Kawekla. He told the Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group members that the people were here to report themselves according to an order from the NCPO, and he ordered the Military Police officials to prevent anyone from leaving the room.

Villagers were surprised, because they thought they were only there to give information on the lignite-mining dispute in which the Conservation Group is involved. The Colonel responded by outlining the timeline of the preceding few days, including the Conservation Group’s 5 November 2014 meeting, travelling on 7 November 2014 to Chiang Mai to file a case with the Administrative Court, and the P-Move 1st Walk for Land Reform on the November 9. Colonel Kaewkla said that on all of these three occasions the Conservation Group was violating NCPO orders that banned political gatherings of more than five people. The Colonel was also showing the pictures of the activities organised by the Conservation Group on the three days. He said that he would send soldiers to the North of Ban Haeng Village and if the Conservation Group continued to hold activities with more than 5 people, he would detain the people involved at the Provincial Military Camp.

29 June 2015: Ms. Waewrin went to Chiang Mai for a medical check-up. Ms. Waewrin received a phone call from the Lampang Provincial Chief of Police, Police Major General Niyom Duangsee, asking her whether she and the group were planning any activities or travelling. On the same day, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha visited Chiang Mai and there was an off-site military government cabinet meeting planned.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Please write a letter to the following government authorities requesting for actions to support of the Rak Ban Haeng Conservation Group and Ms. Waewrin, based on the needs identified to ensure her physical and psychological integrity.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER